


Entranced

by chanmosphere



Series: Entranced [1]
Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Action, Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Characters' deaths (not main), Fantasy, Fluff, Implied Mpreg, Implied Torture, Implied/mentioned incest, M/M, Magical Creatures, Mentions of Fanxing/Krislay, Mentions of trafficking of magical creatures, Mild Gore, Romance, Self-Lubrication, Smut, Veela Baekhyun, Violence, Voyeurism, age gap, implied xiuhan - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-21
Updated: 2018-06-25
Packaged: 2019-03-21 22:44:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 43,619
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13750746
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chanmosphere/pseuds/chanmosphere
Summary: Chanyeol is sent into the Dark Forest as a punishment. What he finds there will change his life forever.





	1. Encounter.

**Author's Note:**

> This is a Harry Potter AU and while most of the facts, magical creatures and other things mentioned here come from the original settling, some of them are made up by me.

Park Chanyeol can proudly say he has never had regrets in life before.

_Before._

Now, as he stands in the middle of McGonagall’s cramped office, ogling at the mini lemon pies settled over a table in a corner of the room, he does. The lemon pies look fluffy and creamy and fluffy and delicious, his mouth waters and it really wouldn’t be that hard to just take his wand out and _Accio_ one of the treats, but he’s already in trouble, which would only make it worse. McGonagall loves her lemon pies.

Maybe saying that he has never had regrets in his life before is a lie. He did after all, give his older sister a green witch nose, warts and burnt her hair once. His mother confiscated his wand for a month. A painful month where had actually had to _do_ things on his own. Totally worth regretting it. He could probably add to that short list the fact that he _is_ in the headmistress’ office, half of his robe burnt at the edges and still laying off smoke.

His thoughts are distracted for a moment by the silver glow of the _Pensieve_ , curious as to what kind of interesting Thoughts he could find in there if he just leans in. Minerva does has a mysterious mind, he thinks and a mischievous smile crosses his face as he stretches his arm to reach for the metallic basin. His face is so close to touching the flowing glow; his body tingles with excitement as he imagines all the possibilities and just when he’s about to dive in, the thud of something heavy landing on the wooden floor startles him. Chanyeol’s breath hitches and he immediately straightens up, turning around to face the big desk on the opposite direction of the room.

The cat is there, sitting at the top of the desk, forelegs joined together and tail swaying gracefully behind her. She’s staring at him, Chanyeol can feel the heat of her accusing gaze on him. He doesn’t really know what to expect, for McGonagall has always been unpredictable with her ways of responding to all different kinds of situations; he might as well walk out of her office with just a warning and in the worst case scenario, expelled. Oh, how much Kyungsoo would love that.

So taking a deep breath and brave step forward, Chanyeol waits for his sentence to be dictated and he knows it’s not going to be pretty, because he not only─

“You not only burnt half of the men’s washroom’s stalls, Mr. park,” the voice of the headmistress’ jumps and booms on the old stone walls. The cat is gone and Minerva is now sitting on her chair behind the desk “but you also blew up a wall. And for what reason, may I ask?” Her tone is condescending and cold. Chanyeol keeps mum, praying that the questions is rhetorical so he doesn’t have to answer. The professor sighs and pinches at the bridge of her nose. “What am I going to do with you, Chanyeol? This is the second time in three days. You’re one of my best students, your notes are excellent, but your recklessness will be the end of you.”

“I’m sorry, professor.” Chanyeol mumbles, ducking his head down.

“I’m sure you are. And I’m also sure you have an excellent explanation of why you did what you did.” Chanyeol opens his mouth to speak. “But I won’t hear it this time and I’m not going to let you off so easily either. You will have your punishment.” Minerva glances at him from above the rim of her glasses as she takes the white quill from the holder and soaks it on black ink. The office is silent and the sound of the sharp point of the quill scrapping the parchment is loud. “Go to professor Slughorn first thing tomorrow.” She places the quill back down and stretches his arm for Chanyeol to take the rolled piece of parchment. “He will instruct you on what to do. Off you go.” Chanyeol bows and gets ready to leave. He’s already by the door when Minerva speaks again. “And I don’t want to see you in this office for at least three more weeks. I’m not asking for much.”

Chanyeol twitches his lips on an awkward smile, not sure if he’ll be able to do what Minerva asks him. Sometimes, the situation is just out of his hands.

Sighing, he looks down at the parchment with Slughorn’s name on it. Is not that he doesn’t like the man, he does, really, especially when he’s praising his outstanding skills on potions. The man is a genius, that Chanyeol can’t deny, bold on his own way, but also disturbingly weird and Chanyeol is mildly afraid of what the professor has under his sleeve for cases like his.

…

Chanyeol enters the Slytherin common room spitting cures under everyone’s mothers. He slumps down on the couch and drops his bag to his feet at the same time, wrapping his arms around himself to get rid of the piercing cold. It’s a times like these that he hates his house’s chambers’ location. He’s already thinking about the thousand excuses he can use to free himself from Slughorn, and most of them could possibly work, but then again, that would piss Minerva off. Not convenient.

He stares at the angry fairy thumping her tiny hands against the glass jar she’s trapped in. she’s not glowing silver anymore, but a bright red and he swears there’s smoke coming out of her ears. Chanyeol chuckles, grabbing the jar to take a closer look. It’s always amusing to see an angry fairy, but he’s not cruel enough to keep her trapped there forever, so he takes a mental note on going outside and release her later.

The echoing sound of steps catches his attention; Chanyeol looks over to the stairs that lead to the dorms, only to roll his eyes and return his gaze to the fairy when he sees who is approaching him.

“I hope she sent you to swipe off the snow from the Whomping Willow’s trunk.” Kyungsoo barks out a laugh as he passes by him, heading to the main entrance. Chanyeol glares, but doesn’t say anything as the shorter guy quickly disappears behind the doors.

“Ignore him.” Jongin says as he sits next to him and takes the newspaper resting on the center table. “Oh, look! There’s a Winter sale at Wizard Wheezes. We should drop by soon. Do you think George would want to give us a disco─”

“I don’t know how you put up with him.” Chanyeol spits, interrupting his friend.

“With who?” Jongin asks, absentmindedly flipping the pages of the newspaper.

“Kyungsoo, you idiot.” Chanyeol rolls his eyes.

Jongin shrugs. “I grew up with him.”

“Yes, and you can’t still find a way to get your normal hair back. That white color is starting to freak me out.”

Jongin lowers the newspaper and chuckles. He pats his own head and grins at the memory of Kyungsoo accidentally jinxing him years back. “I like it.”

“Because you like Kyungsoo. But I’m telling you, we should be careful around him. Dude is evil.” Chanyeol says with a serious tone.

Jongin rolls his eyes. “You’re exaggerating. But anyway, what did McGonagall told you?”

Chanyeol sighs and leans back against the couch, there it goes his attempt at forgetting the situation. “She sent me to Slughorn.” He grumbles, causing Jongin to laugh.

“Oh man.” He breathes out. “That’s worse than swiping snow off of the Whomping Willow.” Jongin keeps laughing as he stands up, stretching his arms and yawning.

“Where are you going?” Chanyeol frowns.

“It’s almost dinner time. I’m tired and I want to sleep early. And I’m craving those butter cookies from the Ravenclaw table, gotta get there before they finish them.” Jongin explains. “You coming?”

Chanyeol shakes his head. “I’m not hungry. I’ll just go to sleep and mentally prepare myself for tomorrow.”

“Serve yourself!” Jongin exclaims, already halfway to the door.

Chanyeol sighs, getting on his feet and heading up the stairs to get to his room. Angry fairy forgotten once again.

…

It’s seven in the morning and it’s freezing. Chanyeol shivers and shoves his gloved hands inside the pockets of his thick jacket; there’s only a few students walking on the corridors as he heads to Slughorn’s office and he tells himself to ignore the mocking looks he’s getting by each and every one of them. Of course the whole school would know by now about his misfortune. Kyungsoo probably made sure of it yesterday.

He knocks on Slughorn’s door a few times and it’s soon opened by Slughorn’s current helper; the girl glares at him for a few seconds, but lets him in anyway. Chanyeol can still feel her heavy gaze on his back as he goes into the room and it feels colder than a snow avalanche falling over his head (it happened to him once, it hadn’t been pretty). Sarah Woller, Chanyeol has seen her before. A very uncommon Hufflepuff if you take into consideration the fact that she’s always frowning and on a bad mood.

“Thank you, Sarah.” Slughorn’s voice is heard from somewhere inside the room. “Please, give us a moment.” Sarah glares at him one more time before she disappears behind a door Chanyeol hadn’t noticed it was there. Slughorn appears a moment later from behind his trophies’ shelves ─his students’, but he likes to call them his─, with a steaming cup of tea in his hands that instantly fills Chanyeol’s nostrils; it smells like berries with a touch of lemon zest and it makes his mouth water. Something warm would be very good right about now. “Tea?” Slughorn reads him mind, pointing at the pot on one of the tables. Chanyeol nods and soon, he has a mug warming his hands.

“Professor, I─”

“Minerva told me about your… prank.” Slughorn interrupts him. His large blue eyes staring right back at him.

“It wasn’t a prank, sir.” Chanyeol clears his throat. “It was an accident.”

“Ah, Park.” Slughorn sighs, almost dreamily and completely ignoring his past words. “How many times have I tried to recruit you?”

“Uh… several times, sir.” Chanyeol mumbles, looking everywhere but at the professor. He really doesn’t want to get into that territory _again._

“You see, son, if you were under my wing, you wouldn’t be in this situation. I believe that magic is to be explored, whatever happens in between are just terrible misfortunes, but what can be done about it?” Slughorn winks.

Chanyeol looks away again as he bites his lower lip. He knows the pros and cons of being part of Slughorn’s crew of walking brains and it had been tempting at first; only for the fact that he would have been exonerated from any kind of punishment by spending extra time working with the professor, but Chanyeol had decided that he wanted to put his brain to better uses: like blowing up the men’s washroom’s walls to distract the teachers so Jongin could steal the sheet with the answers for Mrs. Cho final exam.

“With all due respect, sir,” _Chanyeol calls bullshit_ “I don’t think I’m made for this. Your team is conformed by the best of the best only and I’m just another regular student.” He says, giving Slughorn a pitiful look that he’s sure would convince anyone.

Slughorn hums, squinting his eyes suspiciously at him, but he doesn’t insists. “Very well, then.” He says, placing the empty mug on the table with a soft thud and extending his arm at Chanyeol, who quickly remembers he still has the rolled parchment Minerva gave him the day before; he scrambles inside the pockets of his robe to hand it to the professor. It takes a few seconds for him to read the content, continuously nodding his head and making strange noises with his mouth. Chanyeol grimaces at the awkwardness of the moment, but he remains silent until the man finishes reading and without a word, rolls the parchment again and pulls out a smaller one from his pocket. “I’m running low on a few ingredients for my potions.” He hands Chanyeol the paper. “That’s a list of what I need. So, I’ll meet you by Hagrid’s hut tonight to give you more instructions. Wrap yourself well.” Slughorn finishes, then he disappears from the same place he came from.

Chanyeol looks down at the list on his hands, carefully reading every ingredient listed there. He purses his lips, his shoulders tense as a strange feeling begins to grow in the pit of his stomach. He has the feeling that something is going to go _wrong_.

…

It’s almost dusk when Chanyeol comes out of the school’s building, fixing his gloves and scarf as he makes his way through what during spring is a beautiful green field but now, is covered by a thick layer of snow; his feet sink on the whiteness, it feels wet and cold, making him shiver and wishing he could be inside instead, wrapped on his fluffy blanket in front of the fireplace and drinking a big mug of hot chocolate. It’s now when he regrets not having accused Jongin as well, at least he would have some company. Chanyeol sees the yellow light coming out of Hagrid’s windows and he groans; it must be nice and warm in there.

By the time he spots Slughorn standing by the path that leads to the Dark Forest, his whole body is shivering. The professor is holding a gas lamp and looks as casual as he always does. Chanyeol whimpers, he knew it wasn’t to be good.

“Good evening, professor.” Chanyeol greets him, wary.

“Ah, Park. Finally.” The man smiles.

“Uh… where are we going sir?”

Slughorn pats his back on a rather suspicious way. “Do you have the list I gave you?” Chanyeol nods. “Good. All the ingredients can only be found during the night."

“I-in there, sir?” Chanyeol glances at the dark path ahead of him.

“But of course!” Slughorn exclaims, cheery. “What better place to find forbidden ingredients than the forbidden forest?”

“So… we’re going in there?” Chanyeol asks again, just to make sure he’s not misunderstanding anything.

“Oh! No, no.” Slughorn laughs. “No, son. _You_ are going in there. I’m heading to Hogsmeade, there’s a nice bottle of Firewhiskey waiting for me at the Three Broomsticks.” The professor rubs his belly. “Make sure you find everything on the list, so you don’t have to come back tomorrow. Good luck.” And with that, Slughorn is gone.

Chanyeol stands there for a moment, baffled and staring at the direction Slughorn just walked away. He wants to follow the man, get on his knees and tell him that yes, he will join his legion of undead minions because there’s no way, not now, not ever that he’s going to go in there on his own. But as minutes pass and the silence becomes more deafening, he realizes that he might not have another option.

He sighs and cracks his neck from side to side, then, gathering all the courage he can, he takes a step forward into the path, but immediately retreats when a wave of extremely cold air pierces through his bones. Chanyeol shivers and looks back at the illuminated castle, thinking about what his chances could be if he starts to run now and hides under his bed; probably not many, since at this hour prefects start making their rounds and Chanyeol is pretty sure Minerva notified them all. So basically, his chances are reduced to zero.

“Come on, Chanyeol.” He tells himself. “You can do this. You’re not a coward. It’s just an hour, two tops and you’ll be back to your warm bed.” Chanyeol fixes his jacket, frowns at the path ahead of him and nods to himself, beginning to walk forward, carefully and steady.

The atmosphere feels heavy around him. There’s no hint of any source of light that could help him guide him through the forest in case his lamp runs out of gas. The dry branches of the trees cast terrifying shadows with the help of the faint silver light of the moon. He can hear all the noises around him, the crickets and the owls; some toads and other noises he’s not able to recognize. Not that he wants to. Chanyeol stops for a moment to unroll the list of ingredients, bringing his lamp up so he can read it. He can recognize all of them, thankful of that time he stumbled upon a note on an old issue of the Daily Prophet about forbidden potions and his curiosity took the best of him, driving him to make his own research online. Some of the ingredients glow in the dark and the ones that don’t, he will have to find a way to find them.

At least he’s grateful that his brain is smart enough to remember all kinds of useless ─and not so useless─ things.

He had managed to find five of the fifteen ingredients on the list in a span of 20 minutes. Chanyeol doesn’t notice how far he is into the forest until he hears the sound of flowing water; a lopsided smile spreads on his lips, he’s near the river, where he is surely going to find leeches. He hurries his steps, almost stumbling on a few roots and fallen branches, but his urge to cross over another ingredient and go home as soon as possible is bigger than his survival instinct.

Thankfully, the trees surrounding the body of water are distanced enough from each other to give the lake enough light from the moon, making it easy for the student to spot a nest of leeches on the side of a large rock. Chanyeol breaths out a _fuck yes_ and runs in that direction. Now he only has to find a stick thick and long strong enough to collect them, a few will have to do. He takes out a jar of glass from his bag and places it on the ground, to then squat by the banks of the lake and analyze his chances. He’s concentrated, trying to find the right angle so he won’t drop the disgusting thing into the water when he hears it: the humming of a tune dancing through the trees, extending across the forest like an invisible blanket and echoing in his ears. It’s soft and alluring, trapping and inviting, almost hypnotizing.

Chanyeol knows he shouldn’t trust any of what he hears and sees in that forest, especially not during the night. He stands up anyway, neglecting the task at hand as he begins to walk around the lake to reach to the other side; the humming is getting stronger, Chanyeol can feel it pulling at his heartstrings; his heart is beating like crazy and his knees feel weak, almost like melting jello. He feels himself slowly falling into a trance. Chanyeol wants to stop and go back, but it’s too late.

The natural noises of the forest become just a hush in the background as he walks further into where the branches of the trees get thicker. It’s fully dark again and the path he had been trying to follow disappears ahead of him, but Chanyeol is not really paying attention anymore. The bag with the ingredients long lost. He turns around a particularly thick trunk, the humming transforms into a singing voice, the most beautiful voice Chanyeol has ever heard and it’s singing to him, pulling invisible strings to keep him walking forward and forward, eyes wide and brain going all fuzzy without been able to really concentrate. The only present thought in his mind being the need to find the owner of that voice.

Chanyeol stops at the sight of a small cabin, a few meters away from the lake. The narrow windows are illuminated by a dim silvery light that attracts Chanyeol like a moth the flames. The student resumes his steps, more wary than before; the singing voice gets stronger at every steps he takes and he’s sure it comes from inside the curious house, but it echoes through the trees and beyond, vanishing in the darkness of it all.

He gets closer enough to be able to look through the glassless windows, the inside of the cabin looks smaller than the outside, there’s only a few rustic furniture randomly placed into the space, a couch, an armchair, a single bed in a corner covered with an extremely fluffy blue blanket that results strangely familiar for Chanyeol; a small kitchen on the other side of the room and a bookshelf with a few old books scattered around. It all looks misplaced, but somehow, making sense.

Chanyeol doesn’t mean to stare the moment someone steps into his range of view: a short male with hair of a beautiful shade of gold; his hips and shoulders are narrow as he moves around the room with the elegance and fluency of a cat, the white silk robe he’s wearing waves along with him. The boy the shrugs a shoulder off and Chanyeol can’t help the gasp that escapes his mouth when he sees the pale skin glowing under the silver light coming from the ceiling.

The male seems to hear him, for he turns his head to the side, eyes peeking over his shoulder in the student’s direction and Chanyeol knows that that should be his cue to leave, but he can’t. His feet are glued to the ground and wide eyes fixed on the boy inside the cabin. Chanyeol misses the knowing smirk that crosses the man’s face as he starts to sing again; his voice flows smoothly like a river, soft on Chanyeol’s ears, causing his entire body to shiver with goosebumps. His heart is racing inside his chest. He has to hold himself on the windowsill in order to not fall to the floor.

The boy then removes the other side of his robe as he walks in the direction of the full length mirror near the bed, swaying his hips at the rhythm of the tune he’s singing. Chanyeol has never felt so overwhelmed before, the sensation on his chest and stomach is indescribable.  He has to go in there. He knows he has to, but something inside is telling him to run away instead.

Chanyeol’s mouth falls open. The boy is removing the rest of the robe, revealing his naked body, curved hips and narrow waist. He swallows and almost reaches forward instinctively, itching to touch the soft-looking skin. The boy raises an arm and without prying his eyes off of the mirror, he slides his slender fingers from his wrist down his arm and chest, even further down until he reaches the base of his perfectly shaved cock.

The singing stops and a soft moan makes Chanyeol’s ears perk up; his eyes focus again on the naked boy that is now touching himself, eyes closed and long fingers wrapping around his half-hard length; he strokes his cock slowly at first, fastening the pace as his erection grows harder and harder. The blond throws his head back, exposing his pale and long neck; Chanyeol licks his lips, how he would love to mark and bruise the skin there.

The blond presses his thumb on the slit, whimpering while he delays his own orgasm just for a few seconds before he’s removing his finger and letting out a loud groan that echoes through the wooden walls of the cabin and that it has Chanyeol instantly hard in his pants. The boy strokes his cock a few more times before he’s finishing, spilling his cum on his hand and part of the mirror; his body is slightly shaking, his chest heaving up and down as he opens his eyes, a satisfied smile curling on his lips.

Chanyeol swallows, looking down at the tent in his pants that’s starting to hurt. With his mind still clouded, he reaches down and rubs his erection through the fabric of his trousers. When he looks up again, the blond boy is staring directly at him, standing just a few steps away from the window, still completely naked. It’s only then when Chanyeol notices the deep blue of his eyes. He’s smirking, showing of his body as if he knew it’s causing things to Chanyeol’s body, and Chanyeol feels like he could cum just with that.

“Come in.” The boy says with a low voice that has Chanyeol’s dick twitching with anticipation. He does as he’s told, having to bend his body a little in order to not his head with the door frame. He awkwardly stands in the middle of the room, fists tightly clenched and stomach coiling with need as he watches the boy walk around him, like a hunter with his prey. The blond wanders his eyes from his head to toes and hums appreciatively. “What is your name?” He asks with a marked foreign accent.

“Cha-Chanyeol.” He stutters.

“Hmm… and tell me, Chanyeol, has anyone ever tell you that you shouldn’t roam around in the forest? Especially at night? It’s _dangerous._ ” The boy almost purrs instead of speak. He takes another look at him, a finger sliding from his chest up to his jawline. Chanyeol shivers.

“I─ I was sent here, as a punishment. I’m a student at Hogwarts.” Chanyeol answers. He’s not sure if he should be giving out that information; he’s still in the Dark Forest and this person standing right in front of him could still kill him in a blink.

“I see. A bad boy.”

“I’m not─”

“I like bad boys.”

The boy looks up at him. There’s a glint of something in his blue eyes that make Chanyeol’s knees go weak. He removes Chanyeol’s scarf and drops it to the floor, then he starts unbuttoning his robe, pullover and finally, he unfastens the buttons of his uniform shirt. Chanyeol is too lost in those eyes to even realize what the stranger is doing.

“What─ what are you doing?” Chanyeol hisses at the cold air hitting his bare chest. The blond’s hands are all over him, feeling him up; his hands are surprisingly warm.

“I’m helping you out with that.” The boy ogles at his erection. Chanyeol unconsciously grunts, letting the boy drag him to the bed. He pushes him back and Chanyeol falls on his butt over the thin mattress. The blonde doesn’t waste any time on sliding down his pants and kneels on the floor in between Chanyeol’s legs. Without another word, he takes him fully in his mouth.

Chanyeol whimpers, the muscles of his stomach contracting at the warmth surrounding his sensitive skin. The boy gives the head a few tentative licks before diving in and start bobbing his head up and down the shaft, swirling his tongue on a way that Chanyeol thinks should be illegal; he sucks and nibbles, humming and moaning in pure pleasure, sending vibrations through his body that have him at the edge of his orgasm.

He receives a pleasant surprise when the blond pushes all the way down, the tip of his dick hitting the back of his throat without gagging. His throat clenches around the swollen head and that does it for Chanyeol; he doesn’t have the time nor the ability to speak so he can warn the boy to move away, so he comes in his mouth hard and the blond swallows it all without complaints. Chanyeol’s breathing is raging by the time the stranger pulls away, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. The wizard relishes on the after feeling of his orgasm coursing through his body as he leans back and closes his eyes for a moment to try and get his brain to focus once again on what’s important, but after such a good blowjob, turns out to be almost impossible.

When he opens his eyes again, the blond is smiling.

“You should go now, the sun is about to rise.” The stranger says, pulling himself back on his feet.

Chanyeol blinks, kind of confused as he turns to look at the sky through the windows; it’s turning of a light gray, but it can’t be, he didn’t spend that much time in here, did he? He looks at the blond boy once again, eyes wide and still completely fazed. The stranger has an unreadable expression on his face, a dark aura surrounding him that wasn’t there just a few minutes ago.

Chanyeol jumps off the bed without saying another word, gathers his clothes and dresses himself as fast as he can before dashing out of there and running his way to the same path he came for without looking back, forgetting everything about his bag and Slughorn’s list of ingredients.

When he finally gets to his form, he doesn’t bother on changing his clothes. There’s only two hours before he has to wake up and get ready for class and he’s planning on spending that time getting as much sleep as possible.

He also has to think of a very good excuse to give Slughorn about his missing stash of ingredients, but turns out to be impossible. Memories of blue eyes and golden hair invading his mind.


	2. Must be dreaming.

Chanyeol feels worse than shit when he steps into the Great Hall. With only 30 minutes of sleep, a sore body, pounding headache and the big need of a pair of sunglasses. He sits down on the wooden bench and slams his bag on the table, making a few of his housemates that are already having breakfast jump in surprise; some of them glare at him, a few other curse under their breath, but he couldn’t care less. He hasn’t been able to remove the thoughts of the blond boy from the night before: the way he touched him, his blue eyes, soft skin and to that, adding the fact that he gave him the best blowjob so far in his 17 years of life.

The mixed smells of different kinds of food revolving in the air make his stomach churn in distaste. He should have stayed in bed for another hour instead of going up and just sit through breakfast time without eating anything, but his brain was playing bad mental tricks on his and he wasn’t having it. Maybe what happened last night was not real after all, maybe it was just a hallucination caused by the dark and strange magic surrounding the forest. He had heard about people going insane after spending some time in there, but then again, it had been so real. It had _felt_ so real.

Chanyeol sighs and places his notebook on the table, attempting to read some of his notes for his Apparition class, although he doesn’t need it, he did need something to keep his mind occupied and away from the memories from last night. He can’t find it in himself to concentrate, though, so he stands up and walks out of the Great Hall. Maybe some fresh will help him clear his mind.

“There you are!” Jongin’s voice makes him stop in the middle of the corridor. He turns around, giving his friend a tired look. “Where the fuck were you last night?” He grits his teeth. “I was scared shitless that a prefect would come and find your bed empty.”

“Don’t worry. I had permission.” Chanyeol sighs. “I was fulfilling Slughorn’s… delegations.”

“Oh, right… how did that go?”

“Terrible. I lost the damn bag.”

“What? Why?” Jongin frowns.

Chanyeol sniffles, glancing around to make sure no one has their eyes on them and takes Jongin by the arm, dragging him down the corridor and behind a wall near the prefect’s restrooms where he’s sure no one is going to be around to eavesdrop.

“Slughorn sent me to the Dark Forest last night so I could get him some ingredients for his potions. That was my punishment.”

“Why the forest?” Jongin asks, quirking an intrigued eyebrow. “Couldn’t he just got to the apothecary?”

“That’s the thing. The ingredients he wanted can’t be found on just any cabinet. He’s making Forbidden XPotions.” Carefully, Chanyeol takes one more look around.

“What?” Jongin asks, taken aback. “Weren’t those outlawed by the Ministry back in 1995?”

“Indeed they were.” Another voice joins them, deep and low rumbling in the silence of the empty corridor. They both jump at the scare and Jongin turns around to see Kyungsoo standing very near to them. Chanyeol narrows his eyes suspiciously.

“How the fuck did you get here?” Chanyeol growls and Kyungsoo just shrugs. “Was he with you before?” He asks Jongin, but his friend shakes his head.

“Why would Slughorn want to make those things? I’m pretty sure they’re useless nowadays.” Jongin adds.

“How the fuck would I know? He’s just weird.”

Jongin visibly shifts uncomfortably and Kyungsoo rolls his eyes at just how stupid the whole conversation is.

“Anyway, he’s looking for you, Park.”

Chanyeol lets out a sigh and nods. He can’t avoid the inevitable and better be over with it sooner than later.

“I’ll talk to you later.” He tells Jongin, but before his friend can say anything, Kyungsoo is speaking again.

“Just remember that I’m not your fucking owl.” Kyungsoo growls at him before turning around and walking away, disappearing behind the wall at a fast pace.

Chanyeol shivers. He gives one last look to Jongin before walking away, mumbling under his breath how Kyungsoo gets creepier as the days pass.

….

Sarah welcomes him once again and again, she doesn’t look happy at all as she steps asides to let him in and Chanyeol thinks she might just need a good fuck to help her relieve her stress. Not that he’s willing to help. He’s about to open his mouth to give the girl a piece of his mind when Slughorn comes into view, wearing something that looks more on the side of worn out pajamas than actual clothes. Chanyeol clears his throat and bows his head in respect when the man stands in front of him; his smile is bright and his eyes are shining with anticipation. Chanyeol twits his lips on an attempt of an awkward smile, feeling extremely uncomfortable under the overexcited expression on the professor’s face.

“Did you get them all? Where’s your bag?” Slughorn asks, glancing around Chanyeol and the smile never leaving his face.

“Uh, I… I’m really sorry sir, I─”

“Chanyeol.” The professor says, face darkening.

The student sighs, closing his eyes and finally admitting to himself that he did screw up. “I’m really sorry.” He repeats. “I got scared at some point and I just… ran away. I dropped the box somewhere.” Well, is not completely a lie. “But I managed to found six of them! If you let me go back I can find─”

“Yes, you _are_ going back there. And someone else is going with you.”

“That won’t be necessary!” Chanyeol rushes to says. Slughorn gives him a wary look. “I mean, I can go right now, sir. I have the first period free and I remember where─”

“No, no.” The professor waves his hand around to shut him up. “Better safe than sorry. I should have thought about it before.”

Chanyeol is certainly thankful that he didn’t.

“You can go. Someone will be waiting for you at the same place from before.” Slughorn adds, dismissing his presence with the tone of his voice.

Chanyeol nods and turns around to leave. He stops before opening the door and glances back to see the man hunching over one of the tables in the back of the room; Chanyeol knows he shouldn’t be asking and he’s not even sure if he wants to know the answer, but curiosity takes the best of him and so he opens his mouth to let the words out.

“Sir, may I ask _why_ are you making forbidden potions?” Chanyeol asks. He can see from where he’s standing how Slughorn visibly stiffens.

The man straightens up and turns his head to the side, looking at Chanyeol from over his shoulder. “No, you may not.” He replies. Then, he’s back to what he was doing before.

….

Nothing can be worse than this. Really, nothing can be worse than having Do Kyungsoo walking by his side and making continuous questions and remarks about how could he be so stupid to lose a bag with that kind of ingredients. It’s bad enough that they’re already in the Dark Forest, heading to the lake. Chanyeol doesn’t feel like answering, he can’t even think of a witty comeback when his mind is busy with the thoughts of blond hair and pale skin and already plotting a plan so he can slip away from Kyungsoo’s annoying presence and look for that same cabin; he’s sure that the evil dwarf would never let him live in peace again if he ever finds out about his little a _dventure_ with the mysterious, beautiful boy from the forest.

What is he doing living in a place like this, anyway? He can’t be another creature from the forest, can he? He’s too breathtaking to─ or maybe that’s the trick, Chanyeol thinks, narrowing his eyes at his own realization. Maybe the boy _did_ plan to kill him the night before.

Certainly, Chanyeol wouldn’t mind dying with the sight of that gorgeous creature in between his legs being the last thing he sees. He can’t even think of─

“Chanyeol! Damn it!” Kyungsoo’s voice brings him back to reality. Chanyeol blinks a few times, only then noticing that they’re already in the lake.

Kyungsoo is glaring at him, arms crossed against his chest and lips pursed in anger.

“What?” Chanyeol puffs his cheeks in annoyance.

“Where did you drop the bag? Were you even listening to me?”

“No.” Chanyeol admits as he starts to walk around the lake.

Kyungsoo groans, but he follows after him anyway. “Where the fuck are you going? If you think I’ll go deeper into this place, you’re completely wrong! I─”

Chanyeol chuckles. “Why not? I though you would miss home.” He teases, glancing at Kyungsoo from over his shoulder. The shorter is fuming, Chanyeol can almost see the smoke coming out of his ears, but as he pays more attention to Kyungsoo’s demeanor, he also notices one more thing. “You’re scared.” Chanyeol mumbles before barking out a laugh.

Kyungsoo scoffs as he tries his bets to keep up with Chanyeol’s long strides. “Of course not, but I have better things to do. I have Charms’ class in less than an hour and─” He’s forced to stop when his body crashes against Chanyeol’s.

“Here. The bag should somewhere around here.” Chanyeol mumbles, carefully looking around the ground.

“Are you sure? Because─”

“Yes.” Chanyeol cuts him off and frowns. He keeps walking forward, eyes focused on the small cabin a few meters from where they’re standing. It looks different during the day, less scary and empty. He’s sure it wasn’t empty the night before. The furniture are gone and it looks like it hasn’t been used in ages. The windows look like they’ve been chewed around the ages, probably from some wild animal. There’s no sign of life and Chanyeol shakes his head in denial because _it can’t be_.

“I can’t see anything. I swear, Park, if this is another of your jokes, I will─” Chanyeol doesn’t say anything, but he continues walking, leaving Kyungsoo with the words hanging from his tongue. “What the fuck is wrong with you today? You’re acting weirder than usual.”

“Nothing. It’s just that… I’m sure I dropped it here.” Chanyeol mumbles, scratching the back of his head.

“Well, obviously you didn’t. Better think of something and quick. I wanna go back soon.” Kyungsoo walks by him to take a better look to their surroundings. He doesn’t seem fazed at all by the fact that there’s an abandoned cabin in the middle of the forest.

They roam around for a few more minutes before Kyungsoo decides that he’s tired, hungry and that this entire search is useless. There isn’t any more places where they can look because Chanyeol is completely convinced that this is the place. It has to be.  He dropped the bag right before getting inside and didn’t bother on picking it up when he ran off. Kyungsoo had to ultimately dragged him out of the forest, ironically.

The rest of the day turned out to be a complete hassle. He couldn’t focus on anything and during his Apparition class he ended up in the owlery, with more than fifty angry owls attacking him for disrupting their moment of peace, instead of the Astronomy tower, where he had supposed to go in the first place. In Herbology, he almost poisoned his team partner by giving her the wrong weed and not to mention Potion’s class, with Slughorn still giving him the stink eye and a really hard time by dismissing his questions about the class. One rancorous man.

Chanyeol couldn’t be more thankful when dinner time rolled around. He was expecting to enjoy a good meal and a warm cup of tea, maybe some dessert as well.

“So… did you find it?” Jongin asks as he chews on his chicken drumstick.

“No.” Kyungsoo answers instead of Chanyeol

“We didn’t. Slughorn probably already told McGonagall about it.” Chanyeol sighs. “Or worse, I will have to join his legion of evil robots to buy his silence.” He says, picking on his peas.

“It can’t be that bad. Kyungsoo is part of his team.” Jongin shrugs.

“Exactly.”

Kyungsoo growls, grabbing a handful of mash potatoes and attempting to shove it and rub it in Chanyeol’s face, but Jongin manages to stop him in time. The shorter rolls his eyes and retrieves his hand, going back to eat quietly.

“Maybe you dropped it somewhere else and you just don’t remember.” Jongin offers.

“No. I’m positive it was there because─” Chanyeol stops himself from continuing, he looks to his sides, there’s no one near enough to hear what he’s about to say. Thank you Kyungsoo and his ability to scare people away. “Listen… something happened yesterday. Something really weird.” He whispers, catching his friend’s and Kyungsoo’s complete attention. “I was on the lake, about to collect some leeches. But I got distracted with something─ by someone.”

“What do you mean?” Kyungsoo narrows his eyes. “Park, you don’t have to fake dementia, we all know you’re insane.”

“No!” Chanyeol exclaims, louder than necessary. He then sighs and looks around; a few students are looking their way, but then losing interest. “I met someone. A boy. He was just… the most beautiful creature I’ve ever seen, I─”

“Okay, okay!” Jongin stops his friend before he can get into more details. “What happened then?”

“That cabin, Kyungsoo… the abandoned one? I swear it was occupied last night, when I─”

“Wait, wait.” Kyungsoo stops him. “That’s impossible. You couldn’t have─ he wouldn’t─” He blinks repeatedly, in disbelief.

“Soo?” Jongin scowls, leaning closer to his friend.

“It can’t be because it would mean that you met… him.”

“Who?” Jongin insists. “Damn it, Kyungsoo!” He hisses when the shorter says nothing more.

Kyungsoo sighs. “Baekhyun. You met Baekhyun.” Both Jongin and Chanyeol stare at him in silence. “Blond hair, blue eyes.”

“Yes! That’s him!” Chanyeol exclaims, pointing a greasy finger at Kyungsoo.

“Keep it down, idiot.” Kyungsoo clenches his jaw. “I can’t believe he did that. I can’t believe he lured _you_.”

“Lured me?” Chanyeol asks, looking at Kyungsoo like if he had grown another head. “I don’t know what you mean, but I feel like I should be offended right now.”

Kyungsoo rolls his eyes. He leans over the table and glances to his sides, then he crooks his finger for Chanyeol and Jongin to get closer. “Baekhyun is one of the few male veelas that exist in the Wizarding World. Some of them still live in the Dark Forest, in very strategically points, but they never stay in the same place for long.” He begins explaining. “Hunters are out there. They look for male veelas because their blood and hair have a very high value in the black market as ingredients for forbidden potions. And well, sometimes, if they aren’t lucky enough to get killed in the spot, they get sold as slaves or to brothels. You probably got the luck to see him for the last time. Who knows where he is right now.” Kyungsoo shrugs.

Jongin and Chanyeol stay silent for a while, staring at Kyungsoo and still trying to process the information he just gave them. “How do you even know all that?” Jongin asks, placing his piece chicken back on his plate as Chanyeol grumbles a _freak_ under his breath and then taking a long sip of his tea.

“You hear a lot of things when you frequent Diagon Alley. And I know how to read. Is really not that hard.”

“But how do you know this Baekhyun… person? Is he even a person? And how do you know about the rest of them?” Jongin pushes the topic, not sure if liking where all this is going.

“You ask too many questions, Jongin. And how I know him is beyond the point. The point here is that you, my _dear friend,_ ” Kyungsoo speaks to Chanyeol with a darker tone to his voice “were spellbound by a rare male veela.” He smirks and Chanyeol can’t help to look away, cheeks burning with embarrassment. “What did he do to you? Did he fuck you? Did _you_ fuck him?”

Chanyeol jerks his head up and chokes with the piece of bread he just put in his mouth. “What?” He coughs.

“Everyone knows the once you’re attracted by a veela, there’s zero chances for you to get away intact.”

“What is a veela, anyway?” Jongin asks, partly because he’s curious and partly because he wants to save his best friend from dying of asphyxiation.

Kyungsoo quirks an eyebrow at Jongin. He sighs, shoulders deflating because it should be impossible that these two are _that_ dumb. “They’re magical creatures, of course. With the appearance of a human. Some of them are half-human, though, depends on how they were born. Gorgeous creatures, obviously. In Greek Mythology was said they were descendants from the mermaids; they would attract men with their beautiful voices and sensual dances.” Kyungsoo explains. Chanyeol’s mind going a hundred miles per hour as he thinks about the event of the night before. Everything Kyungsoo is saying makes complete sense now. The description matches. “Until a few years ago, male veelas weren’t recognized as such. And the fact that they’re so rare and so few, makes the whole situation so much interesting.”

“You are a complete freak.” Chanyeol retorts, trying to hide his sudden nervousness.

“Serve yourself, Park. But after what you just told us, I don’t need to be a genius to know what probably happened in the forest and why you lost Slughorn’s bag.”

“It was an accident. I didn’t mean to─” Chanyeol stops the flow of words abruptly and straightens up his back. He blinks a few times and swallows; there’s the feeling of a small buzzing in his ear. It sounds familiar, yet so foreign and far away.

Chanyeol stands up and under the questioning and confused looks of his friend and Kyungsoo, he starts to walk away from the table and heading to the Hall’s doors; he ignores the calls of his name from the prefects and the rest of the eyes over his back. The buzzing soon transforms into a soft humming, the same tune he had heard last night; but this time is fainter, like if he could hear it all the way from there forest to the school’s hallway. It sounds out of place, like it didn’t belong there, but still manages to keep Chanyeol walking in a direction without even knowing where he’s going.

He only stops when he reaches the central yard. It’s starting to snow again and he shivers when the flow of cold air passes through his tunics; the place is silent and empty, since everyone is in the Great Hall or already in their dorms. His eyes roam around once, but there’s no one there, or so he thinks. It’s a weird sensation, he feels like someone is watching him, the lingering feeling of a heavy gaze all over him. The humming gets louder for only a second and then it stops completely.

“I heard you were looking for this.” A soft voice says, sending shivers down his body. Chanyeol turns around so fast that he almost falls to the wet ground. “Nice to see you again.” The boy smiles, his blue eyes shining under the dim light coming from the nearest hallway. He’s holding Slughorn’s bag in one hand, while the other remains tightly curled around the fabric of his jacket.

Chanyeol blinks once, twice, just to make sure he’s not hallucinating. But the boys is there, as real as it could be.


	3. Runaway.

He ran away.

Chanyeol can’t believe he actually ran away the night before after facing the boy he spent the whole day thinking about. His brain had gone blank and his mouth speechless. What was he supposed to say, anyway?

And while Baekhyun had called his name several times until he was out of hearing range, the only thing he could do was run faster. The blond was probably how lame and pathetic he really is. Maybe this time, he did screw up and he’s not going to see him ever again.

He’s lying on the floor of the Slytherin common room, legs and arms sprawled out and eyes closed as he lets the warmth of the fireplace calm his nerves a little. Letting out a long sigh, he sits up and looks around. The common room is almost empty, everyone is either in class or outside enjoying the relatively sunny day; Chanyeol can’t bring himself to concentrate on anything else again, but he doesn’t dare to leave his safety zone, scared that he will run into Baekhyun. And what is he going to do? Run away again? He’s not up to more humiliation.

“Fucking finally!” Jongin’s voice catches his attention. Chanyeol puffs his cheeks and stands up.

“Are you alone?” Chanyeol asks, looking past his friend.

“Of course I’m alone. What is going on with you?”

“Uh, I─”

“You ran off last night and when I came back here you were already asleep. When I woke up this morning you were gone. I haven’t seen you all day!” Jongin complaints, but Chanyeol isn’t paying attention to what he’s saying, busy still looking around to make sure no one else is with them, but then again, if Baekhyun was in the room, he would know it. “Hey!” Jongin snaps his fingers in front of his face. “What are you doing?”

Chanyeol lets out a mortified groan. He grabs Jongin by the arm and drags him upstairs. “I saw Baekhyun last night.” He mumbles, once in the confines of their room.

“Baekhyun? You mean Forest Boy?” Chanyeol nods. Jongin squints his eyes in doubt, but he lets out a long sigh when he sees no signs of mockery in Chanyeol’s eyes. “I think you’ve been spending too much time with Slughorn lately, Yeol. Or maybe the forest did fuck you up a little─”

“I’m telling you I saw him! Last night when I left the Great Hall. He… lured me in with his singing─ or whatever that Kyungsoo said and he had Slughorn’s bag.” Chanyeol sounds mortified. He begins to pace around the room, biting his lips and fidgeting with the fabric of his tunic.

“What singing? Why didn’t you get the bag if he had it?”

“I ran away, okay? I panicked and just left.” Chanyeol sighs. “Listen, this can only mean that he can go in and out of the castle as he pleases. What am I going to do?”

“You’re paranoid. Let me take you to the infirmary, they can give you something to calm your nerves.”

“I’m not paranoid.” Chanyeol glares. “And I don’t need to go to the infirmary.”

“I thought I would find you here.” Jongin and Chanyeol jump in surprise and curse under their breaths as they turn around to face the door. Kyungsoo is there, leaning against the door frame with a teasing smirk curling up his lips.

“Why is he always doing that?” Chanyeol grits his teeth. “Why are you always doing that?!” He yells at Kyungsoo. The shorter rolls his eyes.

“I was looking for you.”

“For me? Why?” Chanyeol takes a cautious step back. “I swear I didn’t take that chocolate frog from your drawer─”

“You did what?” Kyungsoo growls. He crosses the room in three long strides, to where his bed and trunk are. He rummages inside the drawer on his night stands and finds nothing of what he’s looking for. “You little─” He’s pulling his wand out of the pocket of his tunic and it’s ready to point at Chanyeol and probably give him a permanent green face, but Jongin steps in between them and lifts his hands up to stop. Kyungsoo narrows his eyes and takes a step closer. “Move, Jongin. I was saving that frog for─”

“I’ll buy you another one! Just… please calm down.” Jongin begs. He swears, praying that Kyungsoo won’t make a big deal out of something so small; he swears this is the last time he puts himself in between his best friend and his boyfr─ Kyungsoo, to save the guy’s ass. Kyungsoo’s nostrils are flaring with anger, Jongin can see it in his eyes, so he tries again and gives him another pleading look, to which Kyungsoo snorts and puts down his wand, shoving it back inside his pocket.

Chanyeol sighs in relief and takes a step closer to Jongin, peeking from over his shoulder. “I’m sorry?”

“Shut up.” Kyungsoo grumbles. “Anyway, I’m here because someone wants to see you.” The smirk is back on his face and Chanyeol has never been more afraid in his life before.

“W-who?” Chanyeol swallows.

Kyungsoo turns his head to the floor. “I believe this is yours.” He drops Slughorn’s bag on the bed. “Let’s go, Jongin.”

Jongin seems hesitant to leave at first, but after a glare from Kyungsoo he quickly follows, leaving Chanyeol alone in the room, confused and with his heart beating violently inside his chest. Deep down he knows who else is in the room, but he refuses to acknowledge. That until he hears the soft rustling of fabric and Chanyeol glances over to the door, before facing it completely. There he is, wearing a brand new Hufflepuff uniform.

Chanyeol blinks and frowns because _he knows_ it’s the same person, but the blue eyes are gone, replaced by a soft, light brown and his blond hair is no longer blond, but of a chestnut color. His skin is still pale, his face looks the same and Chanyeol still feels the same levels of attraction. Baekhyun is really standing there, arms crossed behind his back, a sheepish, tiny smile on his lips and shy eyes looking down at his feet.

“Hi.” He finally speaks, sending a shiver down Chanyeol’s spine. Chanyeol firs instinct is to run away again, but as he takes a step back and collides with his bed, he knows there’s nowhere to go. “Don’t run away again, please.” Baekhyun says, his accent is also gone. “I’m not going to hurt you.”

“I─ I don’t─ I mean, it’s you but… but you aren’t─” Chanyeol stops himself, closing his eyes and puffing his cheeks at his pathetic attempt at saying anything. Baekhyun gives him a lopsided smile and nods before stepping closer. The boy closes his eyes and Chanyeol watches with his eyes wide and mouth hanging open how Baekhyun begins to change to the same person he knew: his golden hair is back and when he opens his eyes, they’re blue again.

“I’m sorry I scared you yesterday.”

“What are you doing here?” Chanyeol asks, sounding harsher than what he intended to and immediately regretting it when he sees Baekhyun flinch a little.

“I… well, the truth is that I should be meeting with my family in Eastern Europe right now, but… I just couldn’t leave.” Baekhyun confesses.

“Why not?” Chanyeol narrows his eyes.

“You.” Baekhyun answers with simplicity.

“Me?” Chanyeol asks, surprised.

“Yes, you.”

“We’ve only seen each other twice, I─”

“It’s hard to explain.” Baekhyun says. “But if you give me a chance I could─”

“You played your little veela tricks on me.”

Baekhyun closes his eyes and sighs. “I know I was wrong, but I did it because I needed to know if it was indeed _you_ and you are.”

“You’re speaking nonsense right now.” Chanyeol shakes his head.

“Probably.” Baekhyun chuckles. “But I’ll explain it to you in time. Just please… don’t push me away.”

Chanyeol remains silent for a moment, pondering his options. But, does he really have any options here? Baekhyun is looking at him with pleading eyes, he looks tensed and his jaw is clenching tightly, that makes his heart twitch painfully for unknown reason.

“I won’t push away.” He finally gives in and the expression in Baekhyun’s face instantly changes to a brighter one. “But you have to tell me how did you get in the castle and where did you get that uniform.”

“Well… let’s say I know Minerva since I was a toddler. When I turned eleven she wanted me to come here as a student, but my circumstances were… complicated.”

“Why now, then?”

“I told you. You.” Baekhyun insists.

Chanyeol shakes his head, laughing at the irony of it all. He walks towards the window and leans against the stone wall, eyes fixed on the starry sky. “So basically, you ditched your family, _finally_ accepted to enroll in school, changed your appearance and you’re willing to remain like that just to be closer to me?” He scoffs, it’s kind of hard to believe that a creature like Baekhyun would do all that for a simple human like him. Baekhyun is by his side in a second, looking up at him and nodding.  He then smiles, showing Chanyeol a row of perfectly white and pointy teeth. “Woah.” Chanyeol takes and instinctive step back. “Those weren’t there before.”

Baekhyun gasps, he quickly closes his mouth and presses his fingers against his lips; cheeks coloring of a light shade of pink. “Sorry.” He mumbles. “They come out when emotions akin to happiness or excitement appear."

Chanyeol nods because he really, he doesn’t think he has any more options. Everything is happening too fast and he’s having trouble wrapping his brain around the situation. He met Baekhyun just two night ago and here he is, standing by his side and subtly confessing he has feelings for him? That’s a first, Chanyeol thinks, but for some very strong reason, he wants Baekhyun to stay.

He turns his head to face Baekhyun when he feels the heaviness of the blond’s gaze on him. Baekhyun’s blue eyes are shining with an intensity that has Chanyeol rendered speechless and his heart almost ripping through his chest; he suddenly has a lot of things to say, a lot of things to ask, but the words don’t come out. There’s no evil in Baekhyun’s eyes, but there is a tiny hint of fear that Chanyeol can’t completely decipher. He looks so innocent, so pure, it’s hard for Chanyeol to believe that this person is the same guy who kneeled in between his legs and sucked him off.

“You’re not leaving, are you?” Chanyeol asks, and he finds himself giving the question a double meaning.

“No unless you ask me to.” Baekhyun answers and there it is, the same feeling again.

Chanyeol nods. “Right, uh… this is new for me, so why don’t we take things slow and see what happens?”

Baekhyun’s face lights up, his lips stretch impossibly wide with a smile and without a warning, he wraps his arms around his torso, burying his face in his chest. The hug last just a few seconds, but is enough to leave Chanyeol feeling like he’s about to throw up due the wave of intense emotions invading him.

Then Baekhyun is walking towards the door, a happy skip on his steps.

“Where are you going?” Chanyeol asks, confused. Didn’t he say he was staying?

When Baekhyun looks at him again, his eyes and his hair are brown again.

“I have to talk to Minerva. She doesn’t really know I’m here. Kyungsoo sneaked me in.” Baekhyun laughs, nervously.

“Okay.” Chanyeol mumbles. Baekhyun grins and then, he’s gone.

Chanyeol takes a mental note to ask Kyungsoo later how is that they know each other. He doesn’t want to get ahead of things, but it smells like trouble.


	4. Fire.

Being around Baekhyun had turned out to be far more interesting that Chanyeol ever thought it would be and also, one of his favorite things to do. It’s been four weeks since the blond managed to convince Minerva to let him stay as a student not just a visitor in the castle, displaying himself as recently arrived exchange student the East, which it wasn’t so hard to believe; Baekhyun is smart and extremely good with languages and faking accents. There was also the fact that Baekhyun somehow succeeded on keeping Minerva’s mind away from enforcing another punishment on him. Not to mention that Baekhyun, among everything else, completed Slughorn’s list of ingredients and delivered it to him on Chanyeol’s name. He couldn’t be more grateful.

Baekhyun himself, on the other hand, was definitely something else. The way he moves around with the elegance of a feline, so smooth and fluidly, swaying his hips and keeping a smile so soft and sweet that could melt a thousand hearts, forcing Chanyeol to keep reminding him that he was supposed to be just another normal guy from the bunch. Not that he didn’t enjoy the view, but keeping Baekhyun’s real identity from everyone was his main priority.

However, every time they were alone, hiding behind some empty and unused hall or lying on a comfortable bed in the Room of Requirements, are the moments that Chanyeol treasures the most. Their relationship is moving slowly, just as Chanyeol wanted it to be, but he couldn’t deny how much he loved the way Baekhyun allowed himself to be _himself_ when it was just the two of them; how much he liked to brush his fingers through soft golden hair, or how a pair of blue eyes would stare at him, straight into his soul and reading every part of his being like an open book; or the way Baekhyun would sniff at him, rubbing his nose on his neck and tickling him just because he liked the sound of his laughter.

Chanyeol relied on those little moments, especially when Baekhyun would show him pointy teeth every time he was feeling happy.

There’s a strong feeling growing inside him, Chanyeol can feel it, but doesn’t know if he’s ready to embrace it completely.

Baekhyun turned out to be a mystery and Chanyeol have had a hard time trying to figure him out the first few days. He would grew quiet, a somber expression marring his beautiful features and rosy lips pressed into a thin line, refusing to look at Chanyeol and hiding his face from him, but the student had managed to make him feel comfortable around him.

He opened up about his family, telling Chanyeol how he had been separated from his biological mother after one of the first attacks to the veela communities when he was just a year old baby and how the human family that took him in was massacred just five years later. He was just six years old and couldn’t understand the situation. Only three years back, Baekhyun had finally reunited with his family once again and met his brothers. Chanyeol had been left speechless and the only thing he could think of doing, was embrace Baekhyun tight in his arms.

Chanyeol had also taken the opportunity to ask about Kyungsoo, but Baekhyun assured him that there was nothing he should be worried about. Kyungsoo had found him one night while he was wandering around the Dark Forest in one of Slughorn’s tasks. Baekhyun was lost and scared in unknown territories. Kyungsoo had been kind enough to take care of him, sneaking him in the castle to feed him and dress him, until Minerva found out and forced him to take him out, giving the valid excuse that, even when she would prefer to keep Baekhyun around, it was dangerous for him and the students. Kyungsoo also gave him a place to stay and somehow, a sense of safety. Chanyeol had been surprised, to say the least, at the realization that Kyungsoo wasn’t a heartless person after all. Not that he was going to say that out loud.

….

Chanyeol managed to get the Room of Requirements again, turning it into an exact replica of Baekhyun’s old cabin, for old time’s sake and the boy’s own comfort.

He lets out a shaky breath and tilts his head to the side to give Baekhyun more space to work his tongue on the skin of his neck, giving it small, kittenish licks and nuzzling his nose in the wet spots. So much for taking things slow, but it’s hard, Chanyeol has to admit, to have such a beautiful creature around you all the time and _wanting_ to be with you on all the possible ways.

“Baek.” Chanyeol clears his throat, the grip around the older’s waist tightening. “You should stop. You’re giving me a really hard time.”

“I love the taste of your skin.” Baekhyun mumbles, pressing his lips once more below Chanyeol’s jawline.

“If I didn’t know better, I would say that’s kind of creepy.”

Baekhyun chuckles, raising his head and smiling, showing Chanyeol the tips of his sharp canines.

“Tastes and smells are important features for us. That’s how we find our mates. That’s how I knew it was you.” Baekhyun confesses. Chanyeol shifts, feeling a little uncomfortable at what the words actually imply.

Baekhyun had mentioned it days ago, when they were first getting to know each other a little more and Chanyeol hadn’t known what to say or how to react. He still doesn’t, being unfamiliar with the whole thing makes it harder for him to embrace the fact that maybe, Baekhyun is here to stay permanently; to be a part of his life forever. Maybe is not as bad as it sounds, but he also know it takes responsibility and a lot of commitment; he’s 17 and still not sure if this one person is the one he wants to spend the rest of his life with.

“Once created, the bond is too strong.” Baekhyun adds, sitting up and pulling the fluffy blanket over his lap. Chanyeol does the same, waiting for him to continue, wanting─ _needing_ to know more about it. “We’re able to perceive what our mate feels and the other way around. But that can only happen if the other party accepts the bond.”

“What if… what if someone doesn’t?” Chanyeol asks, carefully.

Baekhyun gives him a sad smile. “We are bound to die alone. Unlike half-veelas, they can use their human side to suppress those instincts; it’s easier for them to move on and find someone else. I was born a pureblooded veela; I don’t really have a choice.” The boy’s sad smile falters, almost disappearing and Chanyeol can’t help but pull him back into his arms. Baekhyun sighs, nuzzling his nose on the other’s chest. “Sometimes I wish I could just be… a normal person, you know?”

Chanyeol is left speechless for a few minutes. Again, not knowing what to say or even if there’s something he could say.

“I’m sorry I can’t be what you need right.” He mumbles a moment later. “I just need some time to─”

Baekhyun pulls away and shakes his head. “I can’t force you. I would never force you.” He says. Chanyeol bites his lips; he opens his mouth, but immediately gets distracted by the way Baekhyun laces their fingers together and brings his hand up to kiss his knuckles. “Don’t think too much about it. If it’s meant to be, then it will be. If not, I’m okay with having you like this, even if it’s not for forever. I don’t want this silly conversation to get in between us, okay?” Chanyeol nods, slowly tentative. Baekhyun’s bright smile comes back. Chanyeol feels relieved, but at the same time like if a rock the size of the world has been dropped over his shoulders. He likes Baekhyun, a lot, but he’s not sure if he’s ready to tie himself to someone yet.

….

Chanyeol drops Baekhyun on his Herbology class half an hour later after the somehow, uncomfortable conversation. The blond keeps insisting that it’s okay, that it doesn’t really mean anything yet, but Chanyeol is not so sure. Baekhyun is a creature of nature, guided by his instincts;  Chanyeol just wants to be sure that he’s doing the right thing.

He enters his Charms’ classroom and slumps down on his seat next to Kyungsoo, who’s already giving him a murderous look. Whoever thought it was a good idea to sit them together must be out of their mind.

“What happened?” Kyungsoo asks.

“About what?” Chanyeol is distractedly playing with the strap of his bag, eyes focused on the table.

“You only have that face when Baekhyun is upset. Don’t play stupid with me. _What happened?”_

“Nothing happened.” Chanyeol shrugs.

“Listen Park, I’ve been taking care of Baekhyun for quite a few years now, not for an idiot like to come and ruin the little happiness he had managed to build. Do something stupid and you won’t be seeing the end of my wand through your head.” Kyungsoo says in between gritted teeth. Chanyeol glares, not in the mood of being threatened, much less by Kyungsoo. He’s about to give him a piece of his mind when a prefect from Slytherin comes knocking on the door, catching everyone’s attention and telling the professor to let them all out to the central yard due a fire alert near the greenhouses.

“Where on a second floor, what the hell, Miller?” Kyungsoo grumbles as he’s being pushed by the rest of his classmates towards the door.

“School’s protocol, Do. Move.” Miller gives him the stink eye. Kyungsoo rolls his eyes and does as he’s told.

“The greenhouses…” Chanyeol mumbles once they’re outside.

“What?” Kyungsoo asks beside him, sounding annoyed and done with life.

“Baekhyun is there.” Chanyeol hastily drops his bag onto the floor and runs off, ignoring the prefect’s calls of his name for him to stay where he is.

Chanyeol breaks through the school’s territory as fast as he has never done before, dodging and pushing people on his way to where the greenhouses are located; he stops for a moment, smoke is coming out from one of them. Chanyeol attempts to run away, but as he does so, he feels how something very strong yanks him back to keep him in place. He turns around to see another prefect with her wand pointing at him.

“I don’t think so, Park.” She frowns. Chanyeol wants to move, but the invisible grip on the fabric of his robe stops him. “Keep calm, everything is fine.”

“Fine?” Chanyeol growls. “They’re still in there! Why are they still in there?!”

“There’s no fire anymore.” The girl rolls her eyes. “Is just the smoke. Teachers and Madame Sooz are making sure no one is hurt.”

Chanyeol takes a deep breath and nods. He tries to move, but once again, he’s stopped by the girl’s spell. “Could you, please.” He points at his back.

She squints her eyes at him and takes a couple of seconds to actually put her wand down, finally releasing Chanyeol. He fixes his robe and with a frown on his face, starts pacing around the yard; students start to come out of the greenhouse. He quickly roams his eyes through the waking bodies, noticing how some of them have their faces stained with the remaining of black ash and some of their uniforms burnt around the edges. Chanyeol spots Baekhyun just a minute later, he’s walking towards the meeting point, arms crossed against his chest, eyes down casted and Jongin by his side.

“Are you guys okay?” Chanyeol asks once he’s close enough.

“We’re fine.” Jongin answers.

“Are you sure?” He directs his question to Baekhyun this time, placing his hand over his cheek and rubbing a black stain with the pad of his thumb.

“I’m fine, Yeol. It was just a minor accident. Everyone’s fine.” Baekhyun sighs.

“Who on earth starts a fire on a greenhouse?!” Chanyeol exclaims then. Baekhyun flinches a little at the loud tone and Chanyeol misses the way the older shifts uncomfortably next to him.

Jongin opens his mouth to answer for Baekhyun, but gets interrupted by a very-furious looking Kyungsoo walking on their direction. Jongin gulps and takes a step back while Chanyeol frowns, placing a hand over Baekhyun’s shoulder to keep him close.

“What the hell happened?”

“Nothing!” Baekhyun exclaims, shaking Chanyeol’s hand off of his body and stepping away. “It was an accident! Just leave it, okay?”

Chanyeol blinks confused at Baekhyun’s sudden outburst, mouth agape while he takes in the boy’s seemingly furious demeanor. Jongin shoves an elbow on his ribs, making him react. Baekhyun is already on his way, so Chanyeol rushes to catch up with him on the main hallway before he can continue his way upstairs.

“Baek, what’s wrong?” Chanyeol asks, lowering his voice so no one else can hear them.

“Nothing.” Baekhyun mumbles, avoiding to look Chanyeol in the eyes.

“You know you can talk to me, right?” Chanyeol sounds worried. He’s soothingly running a hand down Baekhyun’s arms and Baekhyun can’t help the feeling of guilt eating him up from inside, but he also can’t bring himself to speak.

“I… I have to go.” He takes a step back. “I’ll see you later.”

Chanyeol makes a move to reach for him again, but Baekhyun shakes his head. He hates the idea of hurting Chanyeol; he hates how the younger’s face twist on a confused way and he hates being the reason for it, but right now, he needs some time for himself. Chanyeol can only watch him disappear around the first curve of the spiral stairs and sigh. He wishes he could understand Baekhyun better.


	5. Almost easy.

There's something strange about the way Baekhyun has being behaving on the last couple of days, Chanyeol thinks. Ever since the incident with the fire in the greenhouse, the guy has been practically avoiding him, coming out with excuses every time Chanyeol had tried to spend some time alone with him and scurrying away with Kyungsoo every time he had the chance; not mentioning all the time he had been spending locked inside McGonagall's office.

At first Chanyeol thought he was just imagining things, maybe Baekhyun was indeed affecting him; but as the days passed by it became more obvious that something was wrong with the brunette. Chanyeol was well aware that he might have hurt Baekhyun the other day, when he subtly rejected him and despite of Baekhyun's insistence that everything was perfectly fine, it was clearly not. Baekhyun isn’t exactly the best of liars.

Chanyeol had also tried to make Kyungsoo speak, but the fucker was a tough cookie and he was constantly threatening him with making his ears bigger if he kept on being annoying; he couldn't help it, really, not when it was about Baekhyun. Jongin had also tell him that he deserved it, not only because Baekhyun had been completely honest with him about his feelings, but also because anyone would kill to have someone as breathtaking as him and he had simply threw the chance away, gaining himself a smack on the head. Deep inside he knew his friend was right, but liking Baekhyun was one thing and bonding with him, becoming his mate from one day to another was a complete other story, he needed to think things through. What if he accepted and regretted it later? What if Baekhyun ends up regretting _him_ instead? Chanyeol wasn’t sure if he could deal with something like that. If he ever became someone's mate, it would be because he would be sure that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with that person.

So now, while dragging Jongin through the long corridors and up to the stairs, his mind is focusing on learning more about Baekhyun's kind, so he can understand him better. Maybe there's something he's still missing, maybe he can find a way to make things up for the brunette and ease the awkwardness between them without completely ruin their relationship, if there's still something left, that is.

"Where are we going again?" Jongin asks as Chanyeol drags him along; he stumbles on his own feet, having to use Chanyeol's body as a support to not smash his face on the stone floor.

"The library."

"What for? You know I don't enter that place unless is extremely necessary." Jongin whines.

"This _is_ extremely necessary, Jongin." Chanyeol remarks.

"How?"

"Well, since I apparently can't get Baekhyun to feel comfortable around me again, I was thinking on doing some research on my own."

Jongin isn't allowed to answer. Chanyeol enters the library and makes his way through the corridors where books of History of Magic, Herbology, Astronomy, Potions and all you could be looking for are placed. He stops at the bottom of the large hall, where another shelve is placed over a large table, accumulating dust and spider webs around. Chanyeol takes the first book he sees, it's of a thick brown cover and the pages are yellowy and worn out by time; on the spine it reads _Aquatic magical creatures_ , he shakes his head and drops the book into the table to take another one.

"What exactly are we looking?" Jongin asks, taking a slim book with the words _Trolls_ in it and he scrunches up his nose, putting the book back into its place.

"Veelas." Chanyeol answers, absentmindedly.

"I thought Baekhyun told you everything about it?" Jongin asks, flipping a few pages from another book.

"Not really, he only explained about mates."

"Oh, look!" Jongin exclaims, pointing at the book in his hands. "There's something here. A whole chapter dedicated to veelas on a book about mermaids, like Kyungsoo said." He mumbles. Chanyeol drops any intention of taking another book and pays attention to his friend.

"What does it says?"

"Hm let's see." Jongin flips the page. "On Greek Mythology, veelas are known for being─"

Chanyeol shakes his head. "Kyungsoo gave us that lecture already, keep going."

"Okay, so..." Jongin keeps on flipping "their beautiful voices are─" Chanyeol shakes his head again. Jongin rolls his eyes and flips. "Here, aside from their hypnotizing singing, pureblooded veelas also possess the ability to change their assets when they become angry. The transformation occurs in a lapse of less than a minute and it's said that they will portray the physical appearance of a creature similar to a harpy; some of them can accomplish a full transformation unwillingly, while some of them have full control over their bodies, deciding whether they want to finish the transformation or not. It is believed that they are able create fire from his hands. They are also excellent warriors…" Jongin voice trails off.

Chanyeol quirks an eyebrow. "Are you sure that's from a reliable source? It sounds crazy."

"It would explain the fire." Jongin shrugs and puts the book down on the table, catching Chanyeol's attention.

"What do you mean?"

"The day of the fire in the greenhouse. Everything was going fine, Baekhyun is excellent with plants! You should see him! The way he treats them and how he speaks to them it's just amaz─"

"Jongin..."

"Right. We were planting some ginger. Mrs. Sprout says it's important for us to learn how to do it, but I'm sure the order comes from the kitchen ladies─"

"Jongin." Chanyeol grits his teeth.

"Anyway, we were doing just that and we overheard some girls from Hufflepuff saying you would never date someone as plain and boring as Baekhyun, and how he's always trailing behind you like a lost dog. Baekhyun was gripping so hard on the seeds’ bags I was afraid he would make them explode; I got distracted for a minute and when I looked back, there was smoke coming out of his hands... literally and then, fire."

Chanyeol opens his mouth to voice his opinion on how stupid the whole thing sounds. First of all, he’ll make sure to find who those girls are and give them a piece of his mind and second of all, Baekhyun couldn't possibly turn into a monster like that when he's the epitome of sweetness and beauty; he starts to laugh, bending over and slapping his hand on his thigh, making the people around them throw deathly glares at them.

"I've heard all kinds of crazy, but this is just─"

"Chanyeol!" He's suddenly interrupted by his name being called from the entrance. There's one of his fellow Slytherins standing there, eyes wide open and completely ignoring the nasty looks and shushings coming from the nearby tables where more people are trying to study. "You need to come, something's wrong with Baekhyun." He says, and that's enough to snap him out of his amused daze.

He drops the book he had been using to entertain himself and runs off, forgetting about his bag and with Jongin hot on his heels. The way to the central yard has never felt so long, he can hear the whispering of Baekhyun's name and his own all across the hallway and it’s really starting to worry him.

He only comes to a stop when they reach the pillars that separate the garden from the corridors. There's a lot of people gathering around something, loud voices that sound terrified and somehow surprised. So Chanyeol makes his way through the crowd, pushing and pulling and ignoring curses thrown at his name.

There in the middle of everything is Baekhyun─ or what it looks like Baekhyun. The creature's hair is of a strong shade of gold and it glows with the faint sunrays that course through the tree branches, his blue eyes are two shades darker and his eyebrows are drawn together on a frown; he's showing his sharp teeth and his skin has gone from its usual place complexion to a grayish tone that is slowly turning into black on his neck and below his eyes. There's a pair of huge wings coming out of his shoulder blades, black and thick feathers flailing with the gusts of air he himself creates every time he shakes them, making the people around him to take several steps back. But what catches Chanyeol's attention the most are his hands, black veins coming out of the tips of his fingers and down until it fades before reaching his knuckles, instead of nails he has long and sharp claws that curve a little on the tips; something coming out of his hands is glowing orange and he gasps when he identifies them as small balls of fire forming on the palms of his hands. What Jongin was reading barely ten minutes ago was displaying right in front of him, angry and intimidating, but magnificent and quite the view.

"You aren't laughing now, are you?" Jongin next to him tries to ease the tense atmosphere around them but instead, he gulps and his hands shake as he takes a step back.

Chanyeol ignores him and is forced to look to the other side when a sharp scream is heard from the two girls on the floor. Both of them are holding onto each other, shaking and crying.

A wicked smile crosses the creature's face and he bends down until his right knee is touching the grass; he brings a pointy claw under the chin of one of the girls and presses it on the skin, making her cry in fear and pain when a small drop of blood falls over the white of her collar.

"I told you to stop, didn't I? I told you not to make me angry." Baekhyun says, his normal accent is also back, voice deep and sharp as he tilts his head to the side on a way that would have been adorable for Chanyeol if it wasn't for the ice cold look on his eyes, the sharp teeth showing through his lips and the nail digging into the girl's skin. The girl lets out a strangled whimper and Baekhyun chuckles. "Ow," he coos "it would be a shame to hurt such a pretty face... what to do?" He pretends to be thinking for a moment, bringing the tip of another nail to tap on his cheek as he hums.

"P-please." The plea is heard by the people closest to them, making them shiver.

Baekhyun doesn't seem to care that there's a lot of people around him, witnessing his true form. One that not even Chanyeol was aware of. There's a low grumble escaping the male's lips and he squints his eyes before smiling again, sending chills to Chanyeol's body; the creature removes the claw and wraps his hand around her neck instead, making the girl gasp and struggle instantly.

"Baekhyun!" Chanyeol screams and attempts to run to the guy, but his voice is overpowered by McGonagall's who is arriving the place, also calling his name.

The blond creature turns his head to them and shows a lopsided smile. His eyes focused on Chanyeol for a split second as he ignores the pleading look the younger is giving him before focusing on to the headmistress. Baekhyun lets out a growl when he sees Minerva pulling out her wand from the green tunic and aims at him; she opens her mouth to cast a spell, Chanyeol notices and right in that moment, Baekhyun lets out a loud grunt and flies away with a strong shake of his wings, leaving a cloud of dust, leaves and extremely confused people behind, disappearing fast behind the castle's towers.

There's a moment of sheer silence, before the woman starts yelling again. "Everybody get back to class!" Ushering a few students around as the prefects do the same.

Chanyeol glances back, looking as another prefect helps the girls up and takes them to the nursery. He would feel relieved that they’re okay if it wasn’t because of the fact that he just saw Baekhyun’s _real_ form displayed right in front of him; it takes him a moment to swallow what just happened, including the small detail that Baekhyun _flew_ away without even sparing him a glance.

"Park, follow me. You too, Mr. Do." Minerva points at Kyungsoo and Chanyeol looks at him, confused as to why she would need him to tag along too. Then Chanyeol remembers Kyungsoo _knows_ Baekhyun and all that implies knowing him. Kyungsoo's eyes are inexpressive as he turns on his heels and follows Minerva to her office.

"There's must be something we can do!" Chanyeol exclaims as the doors of the cramped room close behind him.

"I'm afraid there's not, Mr. Park." Minerva says, taking her seat behind the desk. "As much as Baekhyun looks human, he's still a magical creature with wild instincts.  He just has the ability to control them... sometimes. You have to keep in mind that what you saw today, could bring you and the rest of the school big problems. We don’t want things to get unnecessarily complicated. So I will have to ask you to be discrete from no own; if someone asks, you know nothing."

"But─ he can't just leave like that!” Chanyeol exclaims, ignoring the rest of the woman’s words. The only thing in mind being Baekhyun. “He said─ he told me about─"

"About what, Chanyeol?" Minerva narrows her eyes, an interested lilt in her voice.

Chanyeol sighs and shakes his head, rolling his shoulders to release some tension and giving Kyungsoo, who had been standing in the corner of the room in silence, a quick glance. "It's not important anymore. Can I be excused, professor? I don’t feel so good."

Minerva nods. "Just be careful, boy. Don't mess with something you can't fully understand. I’ll talk to you later."

Chanyeol stops on the doorway for a moment and looks at her as he bites his lip, nodding. He leaves then; it had been too easy to be true. _Almost_ too easy _._


	6. Bad choices I.

Chanyeol grumbles and kicks at the small rock for the tenth time; he has his hands shoved into the pockets of his pants and deep frown on his face. Why is there a _rock_ in the Slytherin common room, anyway? It's offensive and degrading, he thinks, how people doesn't take Slytherins seriously anymore, after the war ended and the castle was rebuilt, the Slytherin house passed to be just another House's name in Hogwarts. The dreaded feeling you would get every time the name was mentioned was now gone, and Chanyeol hated it; where was the respect for the future Dark Lords? Chanyeol would joke, gaining himself terrified looks, some disgusted and some probably thinking he was just insane.

Winter's on its highest peak, you can't step outside without sinking a few good 30 centimeters into the snow on the ground and it's colder than Chanyeol can remember it had ever been. The fireplace on the chambers is not enough to keep them warm at this point of the year, with just one week left for break and Christmas just around the corner, Chanyeol can't find it in himself to be happy about anything. He has been trying to avoid the thoughts, but it has become a hassle every night he lies on his bed, eyes wide open and mind wandering around the last day he saw Baekhyun.

He's still trying to understand what really happened and the fact that he couldn't do anything to stop it was unsettling. Jongin had mentioned the incident in the greenhouses and those girls before and Chanyeol is sure it had everything to do with it. After all, he was only leading Baekhyun away from the whole mates issue; there's a hint of regret scratching at his chest every time he thinks about it, what would have happened if he had accepted Baekhyun since the beginning? Maybe all that trouble would have been spared; maybe Baekhyun would still be with him.

"You're sulking again." It isn't a question, and Chanyeol interrupts his deep thinking to turn around on his feet and find Jongin standing at the foot of the stone steps, arms crossed against his chest. "It's been what? Three weeks?"

"Three and a half." Chanyeol mumbles, frowning and looking away from his friend's accusatory eyes.

"Come on, Chanyeol. You have to stop, you were the one who pushed Baekhyun away in the first place, wasn't it?" Another voice joins them and Chanyeol averts his eyes to Jongin's right, where Kyungsoo is now standing next to him, a casual posture of his body and a serene expression on his face.

"I didn't─!"

"You rejected him and hurt him. I warned you, didn't I?" The shorter raises his brows.

"You know where he is, don't you?" It suddenly comes as a realization to Chanyeol. _Kyungsoo_. He strides towards him, long jumps until he has his hand wrapped around Kyungsoo's throat and has him pinned against the wall. Kyungsoo gasps, his hands instinctively moving to curl themselves around the taller's wrist.

"Chanyeol!" Jongin squeaks, but gets ignored by his friend as he tightens his grip around the other's neck.

"Tell me where he is." Chanyeol demands, but Kyungsoo only gives him a lopsided smile.

"Even─" he struggles for air "even if I knew, what─ what makes you think I would tell you?" The smirk on his face doesn't falter even though Chanyeol is pressing hard around his wind pipes.

"Chanyeol, stop." Jongin whines, uselessly clinging at his friend's arm.

Kyungsoo's breathing starts to shorten, looking for support as he thrash his hands on the wall, nails scratching on the cold stone.

Chanyeol is angry. He has never felt this angry in his life before. He didn't ditch Baekhyun, he only asked for time. A side of his brain is telling him he should stop, release Kyungsoo before he can actually cause some damage, but the other side keeps telling him to continue, pressing the arch of his hand around the now red neck of the wizard, cutting his air shorter by the second. He needs an answer.

He's not thinking clearly, his brain is going everywhere and about everything. He doesn't see Jongin taking a few steps back, he doesn't see the moment his friend pulls out his wand out of his pocket and aims at him. He misses the words rolling out of Jongin's tongue like poison and then, the blinding red gush of light that hits him. Chanyeol feels his body shake violently as he flies across the common room, his back hitting against the hard wall of stone before falling onto the floor with a loud thump. Chanyeol hisses in pain and squirms, scrunching his face up. His mind is fuzzy and confused, his sight is blurry but he can still catch from the corner of his eyes how Jongin kneels beside Kyungsoo, who's now on his hands and knees on the floor, coughing his lungs out.

Chanyeol gets on his feet again, but he leans against the wall to support himself, he still needs a moment to calm his spinning head.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Chanyeol barks at Jongin, trying to approach his friend, but his legs are shaky and his body still feels numb. He curses under his breath, Jongin had always been good with the _Expelliarmus_ spell, and Chanyeol had sworn to himself a long time ago to never anger his friend, not after he saw him send a boy from their Charms class flying all across a room, not measuring the strength of his words; it was just for practice, everyone was there, even Professor Clinny, but Jongin still managed to leave the poor guy unconscious for two days and with a broken arm.

There's no answer from Jongin, he's still too busy trying to help Kyungsoo breathe and get some air into his lungs. Chanyeol frowns, still confused about the whole situation. He doesn't want to feel bad about Kyungsoo, but he can't help it; even though Kyungsoo can be a complete asshole sometimes, Chanyeol knew he wasn't entirely a bad person; Jongin could see it, him too, but his words had craved deeper into his skin, pouring salt on the open wound. They didn't understand how he felt, they didn't know how, without him even understanding why, a part of his heart had broken into pieces and how it hurt every time he tried to do as much as breath. Chanyeol knew he wasn't alone, but he felt like that anyway, the empty space that Baekhyun had left behind was like a dark abyss. He was proud at himself though, being able to hide his real feelings from everyone else, leaving him only with sleepless nights and restless days wondering where Baekhyun was, wishing to have him on his arms again, hold him close and feel the softness of his skin, smell the sweet scent of his body. Wishing he could have said _yes_.

Chanyeol rubs his face with his hands in frustration, curling his fingers on his hair and holding back a scream, everything is finally coming down on him, the tiredness of his body, his numb feelings and the pounding pain starting to grow in his head. He needs to get out of there, he needs some air before his lungs collapse, so he runs, ignoring Jongin's callings of his name at his back.

He only stops when his feet sink into the snow and he falls on his knees, it's freezing cold and he forgot his coat. But he still just doesn't care, letting his body fall fully on the snow, burying his face on the cold wetness of the white cloak covering every little corner of everything around him. Chanyeol sobs and takes a deep breath, coming back to his senses when some of the icy surface goes into his nose.

He rolls around to face the gray sky and laughs at himself, at how pathetic he must look right now, but he's grateful no one's stupid enough to be outside with this weather, except for him.

The Slytherin closes his eyes for a moment and sighs, the skin on his back and legs it's starting to burn due the coldness but he's not sure if he will have enough strength to get on his feet again, not when the only thing he wants right now is to sleep for a long, long time.


	7. Bad choices II.

Chanyeol flips the page of the book in front of him and sighs, it's been two hours since he's been sitting there, at the last table on the last chair at the farest corner of the library trying to get some information about plants for his Herbology class into his brain, with no avail. He can't really stop thinking about the events of the past few days: where he almost strangled Kyungsoo to death and his best friend sent him flying across the Slytherin common room and almost broke his back; plus the fact that Baekhyun has been running through his mind 24/7 since he admitted to himself and the rest of the world that yes, he missed Baekhyun. He thinks it can't really be a healthy thing.

He gives up, it's impossible to make his brain function with so many things to think about, so he closes the book and leans back on the wooden chair, closing his eyes for a second to try and clear up his mind, but as soon as his eyelids cover his cornea, Baekhyun's face appears like a flash, his beautiful pink lips stretched into a wide and gummy smile, sharp teeth, half lidded eyes crinkling under the dim light of the Room of Requirement after a long session of kisses and cuddles. Chanyeol misses his warmth, the press of soft lips against his own, slender fingers caressing the skin of his neck, curling into his hair; he misses short legs tangling with his and small quiet whimpers drowning into his mouth. He misses blue eyes and golden hair.

_"Chanyeol?"_

He smiles, because that voice is the sweetest thing he had ever heard.

_"Chanyeol."_

It sends shivers down his spine and all he wants is to hear him sing again.

"Chanyeol!"

A loud thud and a smack on the back of his head startle him. He sits up straight again and widen his eyes, looking confused for a moment as he looks around, whimpering and slamming his forehead on the thick Herbology book when he realizes there was no Baekhyun calling him and instead, Jongin is standing next to him, a worried look marring his face as he places the books he’s carrying down on the table.

"I'm sorry, didn't mean to scare you. Are you okay? You looked really out of it." Jongin says and drags back the chair on his right to sit.

"It's okay. I'm fine." He sighs.

"Hey, I just wanted to apologize for the other day, I panicked and─"

Chanyeol shakes his head. "I crossed the line with Kyungsoo, I should be apologizing, and I'm sorry I just─" he sighs again, deeper and longer "I just feel awful man, I didn't want to come to this, I mean... I was trying to convince myself that it was fine, that I would be okay even if Baekhyun wasn't here. I know the guy for what? A month?" He receives a few pats on his back and Jongin looks down with what it looks like understanding eyes.

"He's a magical creature, it's only normal for you to─"

"But it feels so real! This," Chanyeol takes Jongin's hand and places it over his chest, where his heart is supposed to be and looks at him with pleading eyes "can you feel this?" Chanyeol asks and presses harder on the other's hand.

"Huh, no... not really?" Jongin answers and tries to pull his hand away with an awkward smile on his lips. "I'm not saying what you feel isn't real, but Kyungsoo did tell me about the effects of a veela on a human. Especially a pureblooded veela like Baekhyun, you're in deep man, really deep."

"Do you think I don't know that?! I tried, I really did. I thought it was going to be like a few nights thing, but the more time I spent with him, the more I felt myself falling." Chanyeol's voices fades and he looks past Jongin's head at some distant point on the wall near him. Jongin quirks an eyebrow.

"Anyway," he shakes his head, pushing away weird thoughts about his best friend being in love, he had never seen Chanyeol acting so strange and that was saying something considering that one time the taller had spent two weeks mourning the death of his toad after burying him on his grandmother's backyard because his mom had told him that _there's no fucking way I'll have something dead on my garden_ and Chanyeol had spent all his money buying _Warts_ water lilies and carnations to put over its grave "are you going home for Christmas?"

"Nah." Chanyeol lets go off Jongin's hand and leans back again on the chair. "My sister bought our parents tickets for a cruise. Can you believe it? A cruise, on Christmas Eve. She also bought one for her but she _forgot_ about me." He scoffs. "That witch, she's still mad because I gave her cat a pig tail. How about you? Are your parents finally in peace this year?”

Jongin lets out a long sigh and leans his shoulder on the backrest of his chair, raising his hand to ruffle his hair a little, shaking his head. "No, and is not on my plans to be in the middle of all that drama again. I was going to stay here, but Kyungsoo invited me to spend the holidays at his house so we'll be in Scotland." He shrugs.

Chanyeol's lips part a little, forming an 'o' while a smug look on his eyes makes an appearance and he props his elbow on the table, supporting his chin on his hand to give his friend yet another weird look. "So… when are you going to admit it?"

"What?"

"You know... you and Kyungsoo─"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Jongin looks away, but Chanyeol doesn't miss the light shade of red on his cheeks. The taller rolls his eyes, but decides to drop the topic for the moment.

"Whatever."

They stay silent for a couple of minutes, only listening to the hushed whispers coming from all directions, the flip of old pages and the scratches of quills on parchment. Chanyeol thinks about those days he and Baekhyun had spent at this same place and the same table, with him trying to study and Baekhyun rubbing his feet along his calves on purpose, just to distract him. As if his presence wasn't distraction enough as it was. He misses that too. Chanyeol disgusts himself for being a coward, unable to make up his mind when he had the chance to. What’s the worst that could have happened? Being attached to Baekhyun for the rest of his life? Well, certainly, that didn't sound so scandalous now. It was, in fact, a thrilling thought, but now, he had lost it and he hasn't even make any effort to look for the blond. Maybe Baekhyun hates him now, maybe he's─

"No!" He exclaims in the middle of those awful thoughts, startling Jongin and gaining himself a few glares, but he doesn't care. "We should look for Baekhyun."

"What?"

"Before you leave! You should help me look for him." Chanyeol stands up and looks down at his friend.

"Are you crazy? Where the hell are we supposed to look, anyway? He... flew away, Chanyeol. Literally."

"It can't be that hard I mean... come with me." He says, almost rushing his words as he quickly gathers his stuff and shoves them into his bag, taking Jongin by the hand to drag him out of the library.

Chanyeol tries to avoid the main corridors in order to not bump into any teacher or prefect while Jongin keeps whining and asking where the hell is he taking him. Chanyeol ignores everything his friend is saying as he tries to focus on what they're about to do. They finally come to a stop when they reach the end of the corridor that leads to the back of the castle, where the stone steps start and go down to Hagrid's cabin; the snow's still thick under his feet, and Jongin curses under his breath when Chanyeol pulls him along again, stepping into the cold and wet ground to hide again behind one of the big rocks at the top of the hill.

"What the hell are you doing?" Jongin grits his teeth, slapping his friend's back to drag his attention.

"We're gonna search for Baekhyun now."

"What? Where are we even─" He gets distracted by Chanyeol's hard gaze; he follows the direction of his eyes, eyes widening when he finally comes to realize what his friend is trying to do. "No way!" He exclaims and takes a step back. Chanyeol turns his head around with a glare, pressing his finger against his lip as a sign of silence. "There's no way in hell I'm going in there, Chanyeol. Are you fucking crazy?!" Jongin hisses. He bumps his body against Chanyeol's back, hands gripping at his friend's robe by the waist.

"It's the only place I can think of right now, we have to at least try." Chanyeol's eyes never leave the front. They wait there until they see Hagrid coming out his home, good old Hagrid carrying a sack of seeds over his shoulder, all draped on thick coats and big boots to protect himself from the cold.

Chanyeol takes it as their chance to slip away without being noticed, missing a few steps in order to get where the row of trees begin.

"This is a bad idea. This is a bad idea." Jongin chants over and over, following the lead of his friend as he drops his bag at the feet of the driest tree he can find.

"Ready?"

"No, this is a terrible idea, Yeol... the sun is about to set, we don't really know the way around and─"

"We'll figure it out."

"I don't know, I─"

"Hey, listen," Chanyeol turns around and places his hands over Jongin's shoulders, looking him straight in the eye with a determinate look and Jongin knows he's screwed "I need to do this or I'll never be able to live in peace with myself if I don't see Baekhyun ever again, please?"

Jongin contemplates his choices for a moment, is not that he has plenty of them to choose from, but for one, Kyungsoo will probably kill him if he ever finds out he went into the Dark Forest on his own, or worst, that he was following another of Chanyeol's crazy and careless ideas; but on the other hand, it’s his best friend there, and he could see the plea in his eyes. That, or Chanyeol is a very good liar. Jongin sighs and nods his head in defeat.

"Fine, let's go." Chanyeol almost bumps his fist in the air, a wide grin appearing on his lips. "But you owe me one!"

"My life, I owe you my life!" Chanyeol almost cheers and leans in to leave a quick and loud smooch on his cheek. Jongin scrunches up his face in disgust and lifts his hand to wipe off the uncomfortable feeling of wetness on his skin before following his friend into the forest.

The place looks scarier at this time of the year. The lack of leaves on the trees give the scene a more spooky feeling than he remembered and even when they're already far from their starting point, Jongin still thinks he can get the hell out of there safely if he tries now. His mind fades away from all those thoughts when after minutes of been walking around unknown territory, trying to be as silent as possible and avoiding to hit his head with branches, Chanyeol stops near the lake. Jongin's eyes widen in awe, the sight in front of him looking so out of place and beautiful, like an ice paradise with frozen waters and spalls of ice and snow falling from the highest branches of the trees. Jongin frowns, because he thinks it's impossible that something that has always been displayed as terrifying can be this beautiful.

"Don't get distracted." Chanyeol then says, pulling him out of his reverie. "This place is tricky."

Jongin nods, but he's not really registering his friend's words as they resume their steps, rounding the lake and being careful on where they're going. Chanyeol leads them through another row of trees, it's darker now and Jongin can hear the owls starting to hoot somewhere in the distance, but apart from that, the place is absolutely quiet, almost nerve-wracking so. Then Chanyeol stops once again and Jongin looks down from where he was trying to spot a black owl ─that he’s sure it has been following them since they entered the forest─ on the branch above him. In front of them there's an old cabin, almost completely covered by the white snow. It looks wrecked and like it haven't been use and years, but the sigh that escapes Chanyeol's mouth suggests that that is not the case and that they didn't found what they came looking for.

"I was completely sure I would find him here." Chanyeol mumbles and takes a few more steps forward. Jongin remains on his place, something telling him to not move. "This is where I saw him the first time. I thought─" His friend is now walking around the worn wooden structure.

"Uh... Yeol?" Jongin's voice comes out strangled by the cold and by the sudden gush of fear cursing through his body. He ogles up to where he has been seeing the black owl and there it is again, staring at him with its big, yellow eyes and its black feathers strongly contrasting over the whiteness. "Chanyeol... I think we should go back now." He says, but when he looks down again, his friend is nowhere to be seen. He curses under his breath and starts walking again, there's no way in hell he's staying there on his own.

He rounds the cabin, only to find more white and more trees around him, but Chanyeol is not there, although he can hear the soft thuds of feet sinking on the snow above the silence of the place.

Jongin walks around the place for what it seems to be hours, not daring to call for Chanyeol in fear to disturb the peace of the creatures and animals living there, but his eyes are alert, flickering from side to side in search of any hint of his friend. It's hard to concentrate when you're forced to have your attention divided into so many things at the same time; his steps are careful and calculated, his body is tensed and his shoulders are starting to hurt from the tension, his knees are tired from walking on the heavy snow, but he can't stop, not when he's alone and he doesn't have the slightless idea of where he is.

There's the muffled sound of heavier footsteps as soon as he turns around a big trunk; Jongin stills, quickly moving to lean against the wood as his eyes flicker around looking for the source of the noise. His chest his heaving up and down fast, too scare to open his mouth and breath properly, he knows any noise, as tiny as it would be, could mean big trouble on a place like this. He hears the beating of wings near him and he gives the branch above his head a quick glance, there's the owl again, staring down on him, fluttering its wings ever so slightly and bobbing its head back and forth a few times. The animal tilts its head as it moves along the stick to stand near the tip of it and Jongin swallows, his mother always tells him that black owls are bad omens and the dreaded feeling of danger starts sinking in his stomach when he stops to listen to his surroundings but there's nothing, not a single sound in the distance. Jongin thinks that this is it, this is how he dies.

A sudden scream startles him and he jumps away of the trunk, looking around with swift movements of his head. It sounds awfully like Chanyeol. Jongin confirms his thoughts when a moment later the tall figure of his friend is comes out from behind a tree, panting, clothes wet and pants ripped on his knees, his hair sticking on every direction and few sticks tangled on the dark locks.

"Chan─"

"We have to get out of here!" Chanyeol reaches him, grabbing his hand on an attempt to drag him along with him again.

"What? Why─"

"Centaurs, I accidentally stepped into their territory." He sounds terrified, restless eyes dancing around the area. Chanyeol gasps when they hear the sound of metal clinking on the distance.

"Why the fuck did you do that?!"

"There's no time, we have to run, now!" Chanyeol exclaims, pulling Jongin along. They find themselves running among the confusing line of trees.

None of them really knows where are they going or if they're even going in the right direction, but as the sound of footsteps behind them becomes louder and stronger, they can only think about running faster, anywhere where they can hide. It's hard to walk on snow and Jongin is starting to feel the burn on his legs, weakening and slowing him while Chanyeol moves fast ahead of him with his longs legs. He stops to breathe for a moment, supporting his weight with his hand against a tree and bending forward a little. His lungs burn and his mouth is dry, he can't find enough air to fill his body with and the clinking noise of what he can only imagine to be the Centaurs’ weapons, is getting closer.

"Jongin!" He hears Chanyeol calling his name in the distance, but his head is hazy and he's struggling to keep his eyes open as he falls on his knees, too tired and confused. "Jongin move! Jongin!" Chanyeol's voice is closer, or so he thinks.

He hears a loud screech and then turns around, his eyes widening when he sees the huge half horse, half human galloping towards him, lifting his mallet as he gets closer. Jongin scrambles on the snow, feeling the burning on his hands, but it's too late, the centaur reaches him and Jongin watches as the creature swings his arm and the next thing he feels, before his back hits the trunk of another tree, it's his body violently arching back, a bolt of excruciating pain starting on his stomach and cursing through the rest of his body. He hears Chanyeol screaming his name, but it sounds so far away and the pain it’s too much, that he's not sure if it's real anymore.

He lays on the floor, gasping for air and his arms around his stomach; his world is spinning and he can feel himself losing consciousness. There's another voice in the distance, and the pain must be making him hallucinate because it sounds terribly like Kyungsoo; he can hear the distress in the voice, but at the same time there's anger pouring like poison out of it.

Jongin stops fighting to keep himself awake, not caring anymore about his surroundings. The last thing he sees before closing his eyes being the blinding gush of red light illuminating the dark forest.


	8. Consequences.

Jongin blinks his eyes open, head still fuzzy and sight still blurry. He's confused as he tries to figure out where he is, but all his eyes can see is walls of stone and small beds around him. He tries to move, but the piercing pain on his torso and back stops him; he swallows and remains still for a moment, taking a deep breath and trying to move again, but it's impossible, the pain is too much.

"You shouldn't move." A familiar voice says and he turns his head to the right, narrowing his eyes to protect them from the light because even that hurts. Chanyeol is sitting on the bed next to him, his back leaning against the metallic headboard with a cast on his arm, a gauze on the right side of his forehead and a few cuts on his cheeks and eyebrows.

"What happened?" Jongin is surprised by the raspiness of his voice.

"Centaurs. It was my fault, I'm sorry." Chanyeol lowers his voice and sighs.

"Did─ did they hit you too?"

Chanyeol shakes his head. "This was Kyungsoo." He mumbles. "He... cursed me. Right after stopping the centaurs." Jongin widens his eyes and opens his mouth, but Chanyeol shakes his head. "The _Cruciatus_ curse. I didn't even know he knew how to perpetrate it." Chanyeol laughs, but there's no hint of amusement in it. "Then he sent me flying across the clearing with an _Expelliarmus_ , the ice broke and I fell into the water... I've never seen him so angry before." He shivers at the memory.

"Where is he now?" Jongin asks, still trying to process all the information his friend is giving him.

"At the Ministry, dealing with his father. He petrified a centaur... you shouldn't do that if you want to stay away from Azkaban, you know?" Jongin keeps silent; it's too much for his dizzy head. "Did you know he's a registered _Animagus_? Damn."

"What?"

"Ah yeah, you should have seen it. He's awesome, I really thought his owl was going to pull my eyes out of their sockets when he tried to attack me─"

"An owl?"

"A big, black, scary one. Can you believe he was following us the whole time?" Chanyeol chuckles.

Then it clicks on Jongin's head. It hadn't been his imagination. "What's going to happen with him?"

Chanyeol shrugs. "I don't know. I mean, he broke like two or three laws in the same night, but I don't really think he's going to have it so bad, he's father is the Minister’s right hand after all and... well, he did it all for you." He gives him a knowing look, but Jongin looks away, he doesn't really feel in the mood to talk about the topic.

"Ah, Mr. Kim! You're finally awake." Jongin looks at his left to find Madame Sooz walking towards him. "How do you feel?" She asks, placing a bottle of glass on the small nightstand next to his bed.

"It hurts everywhere."

"You broke two ribs, of course it hurts. But nothing I can't fix, so don't worry, you'll be good to go before winter break starts."

"Great." He mumbles and rolls his eyes.

"Mr. Park, Professor McGonagall wants to see you in his office." She says then. Chanyeol puffs his cheeks in annoyance.

"Can it wait? I'm hurting here." He points at his body.

"Nonsense, you can walk. Off you go."

Chanyeol rolls his eyes and gets on his feet with a little bit of difficulty, his body still sore by all the abuse it suffered on the past few hours. He walks through the corridors slowly, slightly limping and trying to ignore the curious and accusatory looks he receives from the entire school. It's impossible that they don't know about everything that happened last night, and he confirms it when he passes by a group of Gryffindors and hears them mumbling about how Kyungsoo almost killed him back in the forest. He can't deal with that right now, so he walks faster, even if it hurts, the sooner he gets to McGonagall's office, the sooner his hell will end... well, a minimal part of it.

He pushes the heavy door open to find the headmistress sitting behind her desk as always, but she has that deep frown on her face that can only mean he's in deep, deep trouble. Chanyeol can't blame her, though, he probably deserves the worse punishment for letting his best friend get hurt on such a horrible way. He walks in the office warily, eyes never leaving the fuming woman in front of him; he comes to a stop only when his thigh grazes the edge of the wooden desk and he looks down, feeling more embarrassed than anything.

"I thought I said I didn't want to see you here again." She speaks after a moment.

"Technically, professor, you said you didn't want to see me here for the next two weeks after the bathroom accident and it's been more than two weeks so I think we're good." Chanyeol knows it's a bad time for jokes, but he can't help it. The frown on McGonagall's face deepens and he staggers back a little, feeling incredibly uncomfortable.

"What on earth were you thinking?"

"Honestly... I wasn't, I just let myself get dragged by a huge moment of stupidity." Chanyeol sighs.

"Do you realize you could have been killed by the centaurs?" Chanyeol nods his head, eyes down in shame. "Thanks to you Mr. Kim is in the hospital and Mr. Do is facing possible charges with the Ministry for breaking laws and—"

"That's not my fault!" He snaps and immediately regrets it. "I didn't ask for him to follow us and react the way he did!"

"He saved you. He saved the both of you." Minerva says, wiggling her finger around as she stands up from her chair to walk around the desk. She tilts her head to get a better view of her student’s face. "I understand Baekhyun leaving affected you, Chanyeol, but that's not excuse to endanger your friend's life like that _and_ your own."

He looks down. "I just─ I didn't know what else to do, I had to at least try."

"You didn't think things through."

"I didn't."

"And I get it." She nods and Chanyeol feels relieved for a moment, until she speaks again. "I understand you're not going home for Christmas?"

"No, professor.”

Minerva hums. "I can't have you around the castle doing nothing, Merlin knows on what kind of trouble you can get out if you get too bored." She walks now to where her lemon pies are resting and removes the glass lid, letting the delicious smell fill the room, making Chanyeol's mouth water. He can't die without eating one of those. "Some of your schoolmates that are also staying are taking temporary jobs in Hogsmeade just to pass the time and Madame Rosemerta is looking for a helping hand at the Three Broomsticks." She casually comments, taking a bite of her treat. "She'll be paying you for your time, of course. She will also provide you a room so you don't have to be coming and going to the castle." Chanyeol nods. "And there will be a small Christmas festival in town, I think it will be good for you to clear up your mind a little bit."

"Yes, professor." Chanyeol mumbles.

"Good. You can start on Monday, after everyone is gone."

The headmistress' eyes flicker over him with a strange look that Chanyeol can't really read and then, she dismisses him with a wave of her hand.

He goes back to the hospital to check on Jongin, but he finds his friend on a deep sleep after Madame Sooz gave him pain medication, so he sits on the bed, now that Kyungsoo isn’t around and takes a deep breath, thinking about the recent events. He has to find a way to make it up to Jongin, Chanyeol doesn’t think an apology will be enough this time, and even though he doesn't want to, he will also have to talk to Kyungsoo. Convince him to let him be near Jongin again, because knowing the short devil, he knows he won't relent that easily.

At least, for the moment, he has something to keep his mind busy during break.


	9. Cherries.

Chanyeol groans as he stretches his arms a little bit further up while he stands on the very unstable wooden stool right outside The Three Broomsticks, a green Christmas light ball poking at his eye while he tries to hook the cord on the nails around the nameplate. He's been there for about ten minutes now and his legs are starting to feel numb.

"There?" Chanyeol asks, voice strangled while he tries to keep his balance.

Madame Rosmerta doesn't answer, causing Chanyeol to look down for a moment to see the woman looking up at him, her thumb rubbing at her chin with a pensive expression on her face.

"Maybe a little bit more to the right, love." She says after a moment and Chanyeol whines, he really, really needs to get down of there before his hands freeze.

"How about there?" Chanyeol asks again and moves a little to the right, the stool balancing and almost making him fall.

"Ah! Perfect!" She clasps her hands. Sighing in relief, Chanyeol jumps down, landing with a deaf sound on the snow and a small cramp up his leg. "Thank you, dear." Madame Rosmerta pats his back and gets inside the bar.

"Why didn't we just use magic instead? It would have been easier." Chanyeol complains, bending a little so he can get inside and brushing the snow from his arms and shoulders.

"Of course not, it's better to use our hands, son. Plus, I haven't been in the need to use my wand for a few years now. I'm a little rusty." She answers, wiggling her fingers in front of his face before walking away to serve one of her costumers more Fire Whiskey.

Chanyeol shrugs, snatching the washcloth from the waistband of his apron to proceed and clean the tables that had recently been vacated. It isn't that bad, to work at The Three Broomsticks, really; the pay isn't much, but that's not really a problem for him, as long as he can roam around Hogsmeade freely during his breaks and spend his money on ridiculously big amounts of candy on Honeydukes. The people's nice, friendly and somehow warm.

He has been trying to contact Jongin since he left for Scotland, he could tell he was still a bit mad at him and Chanyeol couldn’t blame him, he did after all, almost killed him; that’s why he couldn't blame Kyungsoo either for trying to kill _him_. Chanyeol isn't stupid, he knows about his best friend’s relationship with the little snake, no matter how hard they try to hide it. He has still to understand _why_ , but if that’s what Jongin wants, then he is going to respect it.

Chanyeol tucks the rag back on his apron's strap and heads to the kitchen where Madame Rosmerta is busy placing bowls and plates of food on a tray. Chanyeol hears her sigh while he takes some dirty dishes to the sink. "It's a shame, what happened to little Kyungsoo. I can't imagine how terrible it must be to spend even a night in Azkaban. Now, a week?" She shakes her head. “She’s such an adorable boy.”

Chanyeol glances her way and scoffs at her words, then around the kitchen, it's only the two of them, so he supposes she's talking to him. "No one told him to do what he did." Chanyeol mumbles, more for himself than for the woman.

"Luckily his father managed to persuade the Ministry, if not, they would have given him at least a few months."

Chanyeol sighs, now that was something Jongin would've never forgive. "He should be on his way home soon, or so I've heard." He comments, walking towards the kitchen table to take the tray and head out again, not really in the mood to keep listening about the topic, he feels guilty enough.

He places the tray on the table with a soft clank, giving the patrons a warm smile. He hears the suddenly noisy sound of the door bell ringing, catching his attention and the attention of the rest of the place. There's a stumbling figure entering the bar, carrying a big basket full of what it seems to be cherries. Chanyeol quirks an eyebrow and acts fast when he sees the person almost falling forward; he manages to catch the basket with his hands and steady the person again.

"Careful." Chanyeol says, taking the basket away from their hands.

"Ah, thank you, son." Mrs. Clearwater's face is revealed from behind the basket and Chanyeol smiles with a small bow of his head.

"This are... a lot of cherries."

"It's for the festival's cake. Don't tell me this is your first time attending a Hogsmeade's Christmas festival?" She gives him an accusatory look.

"Actually, it is." Chanyeol grimaces, apologetically.

"Oh well, I'm sure you're gonna love it." The old woman smiles and pats his cheek before leaving him standing there, in the middle of the bar and holding a basket full very delicious looking red cherries.

….

If there's something Chanyeol loves more than himself, is free food. His eyes are shining under the fairy lights decorating the main street of the town, but also because the large table is full of all the kinds of food Chanyeol could ever imagined. The table is decorated with a white tablecloth, colorful Christmas trees in miniature and tiny, fake gnomes enchanted to be moving around the trays of food, leaving snow made of sugar and sparkles behind them. Drops of ice hang from above the table and out of nowhere, creating a beautiful scene of glistening tears that change their colors every time a light reflects on them. His eyes move along the treats, from cupcakes to brownies, to pies and mini tarts; fried chicken, spicy chicken and all kinds of chicken, baked potatoes, garlic bread and much more Chanyeol is not able to identify. His mouth is watering as he walks slowly from one end to the other, where a pot with steamy hot chocolate and the infamous cherry cake rests atop the table. It's impressive and huge, Chanyeol thinks, the cake overpasses his height on all its whipped cream and cherries glory.

He can hear kids laughing and screaming on his back as they play with the Christmas lights and throw snowballs at each other, but his mind can’t really register anything but the glorious tray of McGonagall's lemon pies. This is it, he thinks, this is the day he'll finally get to taste one of those sweet, sweet treats. He knows they're delicious, or at least that's what people who have tried them always say, but they must be. They look beautiful there, all green and shiny as a few fake snowflakes fall over them. Chanyeol licks his lips and takes a step closer to the table, stretching his hand and counting the seconds to come in contact with one of them. Everything happens so fast, he doesn't see the figure running in his direction until it collides against his body with so much force that the impact knocks the air out of his lungs and sends him flying in the air. Chanyeol lands with his back on the snow and the cake along with him; he ends up all covered in whipped cream, cherries and scorching hot chocolate burning his legs and lap.

Chanyeol curses under his breath as a crowd of people starts to gather around him and he can't decide if the women there are looking so stressed because he might be injured or because he ruined their traditional cherries' cake. He turns his head around in time to see through a small gap in between all the people, the culprit still standing a few meters away from the scene, a mass of black hair and very familiar and shocked expression on his face.

Chanyeol's breathe hitches and he scrambles around in the floor, covering himself in more cream, dirt and snow as he stands up and dodges people around to make his way out of the crowd. He takes the first step to the figure at the same time the other person resumes his running. Chanyeol doesn't waste any time and starts running after him.

He's fast. Chanyeol can feel his energy starting to run out. His lungs burn and he thinks that he will pass out at any moment now. He doesn't think he can keep going and with a final stumble, he falls on his knees, panting heavily and taking a hand to his chest in order to calm the feeling of suffocation he's having. He's so out of shape and curses himself because of it. Chanyeol sighs and falls face first on the snow, not caring about the cold numbing his cheeks and the rest of his body. He feels miserable and his chest hurts, not because of the running anymore, but because he’s probably never going to see Baekhyun again and he’s just hallucinating now. He also wants to cry, but the tears would probably freeze before even leaving his eyes.

"When Jongin told me you had the habit of stuffing your face with snow I thought he was joking." A very familiar voice says and Chanyeol rolls his body around so fast, his head spins for a second. His eyes widen and he starts mouthing like a fish out of water.

"Baekhyun?"

"Hi." He says, a small smile adorning his pink lips.


	10. Stay.

"I thought you left because of what happened that day." Chanyeol says with a calm voice. He waits for Baekhyun to open the door.

They had left the crowded area of the town. Baekhyun led him for a much calmer and darker alley, passing through an area where rows of a few houses were almost completely covered by snow, looking empty and abandoned, but Baekhyun seemed to know his way very well through the thick layers of snow, while Chanyeol found himself struggling to keep up with the older.

The house is tiny, almost too tiny for someone as tall as Chanyeol to fit in; with a small kitchen and a dinner table for two, a small living room with a couch in front of an old fireplace and narrow stairs leading to the only bedroom with just a bed, a nightstand and a small wardrobe.

"Not entirely, no." Baekhyun answers, giving Chanyeol a sad smile. He moves around the living room, lighting candles up and taking one last look through the windows to make sure no one had followed them and then closing the black curtains. "I was feeling really bad for what happened in the greenhouse, it wasn’t my intention to set it on fire.” He sighs. “I was going to my dorm when I got the news that there had been an attack to the village my family was staying in and when I was on my way to talk to you, the same girls from the greenhouse approached me and started to say all those things to me. I usually know how to control myself, but… I don’t know what happened. I felt so embarrassed that I just left. I didn’t want to face you after that. Besides, there was no time anymore, I wasted it. My family needed me.” Baekhyun says. He’s standing near a small table, lighting up candles with the help of his fingers.

"I’m really sorry, you should have told me about the girls. I could have─”

Baekhyun shakes his head. “It doesn’t matter now.”

Chanyeol bites his lip and nods, understanding that there are more important things going through Baekhyun’s head. “Is your family safe?” He asks, still standing by the door.

"For now." Baekhyun replies and asks Chanyeol to follow him with a movement of his head. "And if they're careful they might be able to stay there for a long time." Baekhyun moves around the kitchen pulling out pots and more kitchen utensils under Chanyeol's gaze. He’s nervous, fingers fidgeting with his sleeves; this isn't the way he imagined his reunion with Baekhyun, but he's too anxious and too scared to make any other move. "Sit." The shorter tells him and Chanyeol obeys instantly, not knowing what to do with himself.

"What uh... what are you doing?"

"Hot cocoa, I hope you like it 'cause it's the only thing I can make without burning anything." Baekhyun laughs and Chanyeol nods, lost for a moment in the way Baekhyun's eyes crinkle with his smile.

They fall into a comfortable silence while Baekhyun is standing in front of the small stove, using a spoon to pour the cocoa powder into the milk. Chanyeol stares, he can’t help it; the way the shorter’s back muscles flex every time he moves a bit more than necessary or the way he rests his hip against the counter, sticking his butt a little. Chanyeol swallows, holding back the urge to get closer and touch him.

"I uh... I thought you didn't want to see me anymore." Chanyeol's voice comes out as a mumble. Baekhyun stops everything he's doing and turns around to face the wizard. "For all the time I made you wait. I mean, I thought you would get tired of─"

Baekhyun chuckles. "When I told you I was willing to wait for you, I meant it. Is not like I can go out and look for another possible mate, Chanyeol. But I also told you I was not going to force you into anything, it’s still your choice.”

"I─”

"Let's not talk about that right now. Chocolate is ready." Baekhyun announces and next, he pulls out two mugs from the higher cupboard. He pours the brown liquid and hands a mug to Chanyeol. The taller closes his eyes and sniffs the delicious smell of his drink, his mouth instantly waters and without another thought, he takes a sip. He can't help the small moan that abandons his lips the moment the hot liquid comes in contact with his taste buds, relaxing his frozen muscles and warming up his whole body. "Good?" Baekhyun asks with a small smug smile on his lips.

"This is amazing." Chanyeol whispers, pressing the mug against his lips again.

"Glad you like it."

The mugs empty after a few minutes of more silence, small smiles to each other and shy looks. Chanyeol looks at the still black haired guy and curses at himself for having waited all this long to realize what he really wanted, that would have save him so much trouble and accidents. Baekhyun is beyond beautiful, with his rosy lips and cheeks, his cute button nose that Chanyeol is dying to kiss and those slender fingers he wants to intertwine his own with so bad. He's so into his thoughts that doesn't notice the moment Baekhyun leaves the kitchen and comes back again with a book under his arm.

"Um," he mumbles, feeling a little weird under Chanyeol's intense gaze "you can take the bed if you want to."

"What?" Chanyeol asks, confused.

"I’ll just stay downstairs and read. I'm not sleeping lately, anyway."

"Wait─"

"I can take you back to The Three Broomsticks in the morning if you want to and─"

"Baek─"

"I don't want to hold you here for long so─"

"Baekhyun!" Chanyeol exclaims, cutting the other off and standing from his chair. He walks towards Baekhyun and takes the book out of his arms, placing it over the small table.

Chanyeol swallows before speaking again. "Don't push me away, please." He mumbles, taking a step closer and wrapping an arm around Baekhyun's waist, burying his face in the shorter’s hair and breathing in his snowy scent.

"I'm not─"

"You have no idea how much I wanted to do this." He continues with the same hushed tone. "I missed you so damn much."

"Chanyeol, don't do this... I don't─"

"Let me stay, I want to stay." Chanyeol pleads, leaning his head in until their lips are almost touching. Baekhyun bites his lower lip and looks up, meeting the taller's eyes.

It takes Baekhyun a second to nod, he takes a step back from Chanyeol's embrace and grabs his hand to drag him upstairs by the narrow stairs. Chanyeol has to bend his body forwards a little in order to not hit his head with the wooden ceiling. Baekhyun leads him through a short and dark hall until they reach the small bedroom.

Baekhyun pulls Chanyeol along with him until the back of his knees hit the edge of the bed. Chanyeol smiles, letting go off Baekhyun's hands to wrap his arms around his waist and press him against his body. Baekhyun's breathing is uneven as he feels the taller's heart beating fast against his chest; he's fast to circle his arms around his neck and pull him into a small kiss. Just a press of lips with no other movement, a silent confirmation of what’s about to happen.

"You do know what this means, right?" Baekhyun asks with a low voice, not wanting to ruin the atmosphere. Chanyeol nods. "You're not going to regret it later?"

"Baek... I spent all this time thinking about it. About how much I want you to be mine and how much I want to be yours. I've never been sure of anything in my life before."

"This is forever. Even before death, I'll find you." Baekhyun whispers, caressing with his fingertips Chanyeol's cold cheek.

"I'll light up every candle to show you the way." Chanyeol answers with the same tone of voice before ducking in, joining their lips on a soft and slow kiss.

Chanyeol's hold on Baekhyun's waist tightens, pressing the shorter against his body even more and lifting him up a little just to set him back on the bed. Chanyeol supports one knee on the soft covers and leans forwards, bending Baekhyun back just a little. Their lips finding a synchronized rhythm fast. Chanyeol moves his hands up from Baekhyun's shoulder to his cheeks on a firm grip, deepening the kiss just the necessary to make the older moan. Chanyeol pulls away for air and locks eyes with Baekhyun, his cheeks are tinted with a darker shade of pink and his parted lips glistening with spit.

"How can you be this beautiful?" Chanyeol mumbles, rubbing his thumb on the other's cheekbone. Baekhyun smiles and looks away for a second, feeling his heart beat at a pace he didn't know it was capable of. His stomach is doing weird things, like every time Chanyeol is close, confirming that there's no doubt that he's _the_ one.

"I need you, please." Baekhyun almost whimpers in need, curling his fingers around Chanyeol's wrist.

"What do you want me to do?" Chanyeol breaths out, his eyes dancing around Baekhyun's face, memorizing every inch of skin and every small detail.

"I have waited for so long that at this point I don't care. I just want you." Baekhyun answers, his lips brushing against Chanyeol's.

The taller lets out a contented sigh and slowly, pushes Baekhyun until his back meets the matters. He fully climbs on the bed and straddles the older by the waist, not wasting any more time as he leans in and captures his lips on a needy kiss. Baekhyun's hands move up, clutching around the other's shirt and lifting it a little. Chanyeol shivers at the sudden cold breeze on his warm skin. Chanyeol tilts his head to the side and automatically Baekhyun does the same to the other side, gasping when he feels the taller's tongue prodding at his lips. Baekhyun opens his mouth, granting him the access and Chanyeol can't help but feel his stomach tickling violently. He explores the hot mouth, memorizing the sweet and warm taste.

Chanyeol pulls out for air after a moment and looks at Baekhyun with dazed eyes. Baekhyun whimpers, his lips are red, swollen and glistening with his saliva; he swallows, amazed at the older's ability to look even more beautiful than before with his red cheeks.

"I want to see _you_." Chanyeol's voice comes out barely hearable.

Baekhyun chews on his lower lip, unsure for a second. On his true form is when he feels more vulnerable, but then again, Chanyeol is agreeing to be his mate. To bond with him for life; he knows he can trust Chanyeol, put his life in his hands and give him all he has. Baekhyun sighs and closes his eyes, relaxing his body to let it change. His hair changing from that dark black to blond slowly and his skin acquiring a paler complexion. When he finally opens his eyes, Chanyeol is taking aback by the light blue coloring his deep eyes. They are bluer than Chanyeol remembered. Feeling exposed, Baekhyun looks away, his fingers curling around the younger's shoulders.

Chanyeol feels desperate for a moment by the lack of words to express what he's feeling right now. He can't even bring himself to open his mouth, because he's afraid that if he does, he will say something stupid and ruin the moment.

"Stop looking at me like that." Baekhyun says with gritted teeth.

"How?" Chanyeol muses.

"Like─ like that!" He points at his face, but Chanyeol is sure that there's no other way to look at him but adoringly. Baekhyun's cheeks get a redder shade when the taller leans in to peck his nose.

"God, I don't know what was I thinking when I let you go like that." Chanyeol says, ducking in to hide his face in the crook of Baekhyun's neck, inhaling his intoxicating smell. Baekhyun has a very particular scent, Chanyeol thinks, one he can recognize even with his eyes closed; something in between the smell of wild flowers and maple trees, of rain and a faint hint of peppermint.

"It doesn't matter. Let's just think about now, please, Yeol." Baekhyun mumbles, placing his hand on the other's cheek.

Chanyeol licks his lips and nod, smiling back at Baekhyun when the older's lips stretch into wide grin. Chanyeol leans in to peck the other's nose, his closed eyes, cheeks and finally his lips to then move down to his jawline, nibbling and sucking the tender skin, making sure to leave small marks and bites. Baekhyun hums as he feels the taller's hands sneaking under his shirt and rolls it up to remove it. He shivers at the coldness of the room and locks his arms around Chanyeol's neck to pull him down and kiss him again; Chanyeol takes that as his cue to grind his hips down, eliciting a low moan from Baekhyun and feeling his hardness through his pants.

"Hurry, Yeol please." Baekhyun mewls, being him the one struggling now with the taller's shirt.

Chanyeol kneels in between Baekhyun's knees to get rid of his shirt and with shaky fingers unbuckle his belt and buttons to give his fastly growing erection a bit more of freedom. He latches himself to Baekhyun's body again, trapping his lips and tangling his legs, grinding his hips and pressing down against Baekhyun, looking for that much needed friction.

"You’re gorgeous." Chanyeol pants on his ear. Baekhyun moans at the deep voice. He moves his hand down, using his fingers with ease to unfasten Baekhyun's pants and slide his hand inside to rub with his palm the hard bulge. “And I want you so much.”

Baekhyun moans out loud. Chanyeol growls, removing himself from the older's body to pull down the pants and underwear, quickly doing the same with himself because he can't wait anymore. He needs to feel Baekhyun’s skin against his own.

Chanyeol slumps down over Baekhyun, latching their lips together as he rubs their erections together; moans and whimpers drowning on the other's mouths. The younger slides his hand in between their bodies, wrapping his hand around Baekhyun’s cock to give it a few strokes, making Baekhyun shut his eyes and rolls his head back, letting all the pleasure wash over his body.

Chanyeol is in awe, the sight is simply breathtaking. He's lost for a second on the dazed of the moment, just staring at Baekhyun's contorting face and listening to the small moans leaving his mouth. Baekhyun grunts and pulls Chanyeol by the arm to attack his lips on a sloppy and wet kiss, full of tongue and teeth while the younger keeps rubbing their cocks together, fastening his pace as Baekhyun deepens the kiss.

"Get in me." Baekhyun grumbles, to then lick a long stripe from his jaw to his cheekbone.

"I have to─"

"I don't need to, I'm ready."

"I don't want to hurt you." Chanyeol pants.

"You won't. Trust me." Chanyeol narrows his eyes in disbelief, but Baekhyun's determinate gaze doesn't leave him another option.

Chanyeol straightens up and looks down to find Baekhyun's wide grin on his face as he spreads his legs for the younger. Chanyeol almost chokes on air at what he sees, Baekhyun's pink ring of muscles is moist and glistening with slick, throbbing with need. The taller gulps and looks at Baekhyun, forgetting how to breathe and speak until Baekhyun lets out a loud moan, bringing Chanyeol back to reality.

Chanyeol nods to himself and aligns his body with Baekhyun's, wrapping his hand around his cock and moving closer to tease with the wet entrance with the head. Baekhyun gasps and wriggles down, looking for more contact. Chanyeol conceives him, slowly pushing his hips forward, sliding in inch by inch. Baekhyun whimpers, fingers curling around the sheets while he feels Chanyeol finally filling him, his thick cock stretching him more and more as he pushes in.

"You feel so good." He manages to say, licking his suddenly dry lips.

"Does it hurts?" Chanyeol almost whines. Baekhyun is tight, more than he thought he would be and that's almost enough to drive him closer to edge. Baekhyun shakes his head and wraps his legs around the other's waist to pull him even closer.

"Move." Baekhyun commands and Chanyeol obeys, starting a slow roll of his hips just to let the older adjust to his size. He leans in, supporting his elbows on the bed on each side of Baekhyun's head, trapping his lips as he fastens his pace.

The room is soon filled with the wet sound of Chanyeol pulling out and pushing in fast, of skin slapping against skin and their moans mixing together in the hotness that surrounds them. Baekhyun soon gets tired of the position and pushes Chanyeol away from him, forcing him pull out under the taller's confused eyes. Baekhyun pushes him back against the mattress and straddles him, not wasting any time on taking Chanyeol's cock with his fingers, give it a few strokes and then sit back down, sinking deeper than before, screaming and arching his back.

Chanyeol's moans are deep and uneven as he digs his fingers on the older's hips; Baekhyun bounces on his lap, setting his own rhythm and using the other's chest as a leverage when he pulls out completely and impales himself back with one swift movement, loving the noises Chanyeol makes. He soon finds his own sweet spot and fucks himself going from fast to slow, wanting to hold back his orgasm and torturing Chanyeol by doing the same.

Baekhyun doesn't relent until Chanyeol's a moaning mess under him, sweaty body and muscles clenching and unclenching by being pushed over the edge so many times and then pulled back. Chanyeol's stomach tightens and he moans Baekhyun's name, his fingers almost ripping through the older's fair skin as he comes hard inside him. Feeling filled and warm is enough to make Baekhyun reach his climax as well, trying but failing at his attempt to say Chanyeol's name, there's no more air in his lungs and he feels his chest about to explode as he comes in the younger's stomach, painting it with white.

Baekhyun slumps down on Chanyeol's chest, breathing raging and heavy. Chanyeol is no better as he wraps his arms around his waist to roll them over.

"Don't pull out yet." Baekhyun stops him when he sees what Chanyeol is trying to do. "I want to feel you a little bit more."

Chanyeol nods and lies behind Baekhyun, tangling their legs together to enjoy the bliss of their post-orgasm.

"Is the bond sealed?" Chanyeol asks after a moment of comfortable silence.

“It is.” Baekhyun answers lazily, pressing his body closer to Chanyeol’s.

"What?" Chanyeol quirks an eyebrow. "I was expecting a whole magic ritual with dead chickens and us having to drink each other's semen." He complains.

"You're disgusting." Baekhyun elbows his ribs. “The bond is sealed from the moment you accept it.”

"Well, I guess that makes sense.” Chanyeol shrugs. “Anyway, can I pull out now? My dick is getting numb."

Baekhyun scoffs and nods. He whimpers when he feels empty again and the warmth of Chanyeol's cum flows out of him.

"We should clean up." Baekhyun says as he makes an attempt to get up, his legs feel wobbly and he has to support himself on the bed and wait a moment to be able to stand properly. He can already hear Chanyeol's smirk behind him. "'l'll go first."

"We can go together."

"I don’t think we’d fit in there." He says, making his way to the small bathroom out of the room.

When Baekhyun comes back with only a towel around his hips and the marks on his body blooming, he shivers and his teeth chatter due the coldness in the room. Chanyeol is standing by the open window, fully naked.

"What are you doing?" Baekhyun asks between gritted teeth while he walks towards Chanyeol to pull him away from the window and close it. "It's freezing."

"Sending an owl to Jongin. I wanted to tell him the good news." Chanyeol answers, a smirk spreading on his lips.

"What good news?" Baekhyun feigns innocence.

"That I found you." He leans in to peck the shorter's lips.

" _I_ found you."

"Whatever, Baek." He pecks him again.

Baekhyun rolls his eyes and pushes him away. Even if he feels comfortable and cozy on Chanyeol's arms, he still has to put some clothes on. It's near two in the morning and the temperature has dropped even lower.

Chanyeol welcomes him in bed with a smile and wraps his arms around him to make him warm, throwing the blankets over them. Baekhyun snuggles against him and kisses his chest.

"Can we stay like this forever?" Chanyeol mumbles, not wanting to break the peaceful silence they had fall into.

"Sounds good." Baekhyun answers, hopeful, and shifts closer.

Chanyeol smiles and buries his face in the older's hair, inhaling his addictive scent, unable to get enough of it and hoping that finally, all things have fallen into place.


	11. Difficulties.

Chanyeol wakes up to the savory smell of bacon tickling his nostrils. He scrunches up his nose and refuses to open his eyes as he rolls on the small bed and stretches his arm, palming the rough sheets in search of Baekhyun’s body, finding nothing but cold and crumpled fabrics. He shots his eyes open and sits straight, almost hitting his head with the inclined ceiling and looking around the room only to notice it’s still slightly dark outside; the little view he has through the thick curtains tells him the sky is heavily clouded, threatening with an upcoming snowstorm, probably later in the afternoon.

There’s an uncomfortable, strange feeling prickling at his chest, something different, foreign and unsettling, but nothing seems to have changed from the night before. Their clothes are still lying on the floor and his wand still rests over the small nightstand, albeit carelessly. His mother always told him to be careful of where he leaves his wand. He shrugs the thought off with a chuckle, telling himself that nothing is going to happen because Baekhyun would never hurt him and because now that they’re together, nothing can go wrong─ Baekhyun, the thought of the guy brings him back to the moment. Chanyeol frowns and removes the covers from his body, wincing when the cold floor comes in contact with the warm skin of his feet. He takes his pants, his shirt and dresses calmly, making a mental note to ask Baekhyun _how_ can he take a shower in that _very_ small bathroom.

Chanyeol is lazily putting on his shoes when the faint sound of a whistle pierces through his ears, something about feels off. He takes his wand and holds it tight on his hand, walking slowly towards the door, a bit doubtful and a bit confused. One, because the smell of breakfast is too strong and Baekhyun left it clear last night that he can’t cook; two, because Baekhyun sings to catch his attention, never _whistles_ and three, Chanyeol is feeling different to how he was feeling last night. The strange pulling of strings in his chest whenever Baekhyun is near is not there anymore, instead, he feels out of breath, almost struggling to breath and that has him worrying as he comes downstairs.

The sizzling noise reverberates in his ears the moment he steps into the kitchen. His eyes widen in surprise because there it is, a short figure moving around the kitchen, whistling and humming under his breath an unknown tune; but is not Baekhyun, the black mass of hair almost gets lost among the black of his robes and turtleneck sweater.

“Kyungsoo?” Chanyeol asks, hesitant. The named one turns around and offers him a typical cold, very Kyungsoo-like look and a small curl of his lips that Chanyeol assumes is the closest to a smile he’ll ever get from the younger wizard. “What are you doing here? Where is Baekhyun?” He continues, carefully and moves further into the kitchen.

“He and Jongin went out to get more firewood.” Kyungsoo answers, but his voice sounds different from what Chanyeol remembers, less deeper and more nasal. Chanyeol narrows his eyes. “There’s a storm coming.”

“How did you know we were here?” Chanyeol’s hold around his wand tightens, there’s something about this Kyungsoo he doesn’t like. Something definitely feels off.

Kyungsoo snorts. “I knew he was here even before you did, idiot.” His tone is arrogant and Chanyeol twitches his lips because, yes, this is the Kyungsoo he remembers.

“You still haven’t told me what are you doing here.” Chanyeol relaxes his muscles and shoves his wand in his pocket, then he folds his arms against his chest. Kyungsoo shrugs.

“Jongin has been nagging to come visit you since you sent that owl. I thought we could spend a day or two here before New Year’s Eve. Cherry wasn't all that happy when he found out we were leaving him alone." Kyungsoo says, as he flips the omelet.

"Who's Cherry?" Chanyeol adds, quirking an eyebrow.

"My House Elf." He rolls his eyes, as if stating the obvious.

"I though _her_ name was Berry."

Kyungsoo seems to still for a moment, the sizzling noise of the egg on the pan the only sound in the cramped room. He clears his throat, so subtly Chanyeol almost misses it. It takes him only a few seconds to continue with his cooking.

"Right. It's terrible what a few days in Azkaban can do to your head. All thanks to you, by the way." Kyungsoo laughs.

Chanyeol doesn't like this, Kyungsoo is, in his opinion, a horrible person, but there's something about the one standing in that small kitchen that still doesn't feel right, that doesn't feel like Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo never makes mistakes, never speaks carelessly, much less would Kyungsoo forget about something as important to him as his personal House Elf.

"Say, _Soo_ ," Chanyeol starts talking again, slowly sliding his wand out of his pants pocket "I'm thinking about getting Jongin a gift for his birthday. Spring is around the corner and I still don't have an idea for it." Chanyeol waits, ready for the scold about forgetting his best friend's birthday date, because Kyungsoo insists that his brain is the size of a bird’s brain and he does forgets about the important things. He waits for the heavy scowl and the _you're a fucking idiot_ that never comes. Kyungsoo simply hums and that's all it takes for Chanyeol’s frown to deepen.

He walks closer to Kyungsoo, slowly lifting his hand to point his wand at the younger's wizards head. When the tip of the wand digs into the back of Kyungsoo's neck, the man doesn't seem fazed, he doesn't flinch and doesn't move and inch, instead, a dry laugh escapes his lips. His shoulders shake slightly as he drops the spatula.

"Who are you? Where is Baekhyun?" Chanyeol says with gritted teeth, digging the tip of his wand deeper into the man's neck skin. The impostor says nothing. " _Who the fuck are you?_ " Chanyeol repeats.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." The impostor says, calm and relaxed, picking a piece of red pepper and popping it into his mouth.

"You haven't answered my question. Who are you and what are you doing here?"

The man sighs. "You know, I thought Kyungsoo was a much smarter guy." He shakes his head.

"What did you do to him?" Chanyeol removes his wand, using his other hand to grab the impostor by the shoulder and turn him around. He pins him against the small fridge and wraps his hand around his neck. "Where are they?" He grumbles, finally noticing the difference on the man's face. Is basically Kyungsoo, but his eyes shine on a different way, because Chanyeol knows, even when he's not fond of the younger, there's still a hint of kindness. If you truly look for it.

The man smirks as Chanyeol tightens his grip around his neck. He doesn't expect what happens next: the impostor mumbles something, a second before an extreme shot of pain courses through his body, making him scream and fall to his knees and then fully on the floor, writhing and groaning. Chanyeol can see, through his blurry vision, how the man moves his lips, mouthing words that are impossible to decipher for his body blinded by pain.

“Where’s the veela?” The man’s voice comes out muffled. Chanyeol can feel the sharp point of the wand digging on his neck, breaking his skin and letting the blood pour out slowly, drop by drop.

It's too much. His whole body burns, Chanyeol doesn't think he'll be able to endure the pain any longer; his body's starting to give up, the excruciating pain numbing all his senses. He can feel himself slowly drifting away.

Everything suddenly stops. Chanyeol gasps and it's hard for him to breathe, his chest burns and there's a tightness constricting his throat as he hears the faint noises in the back; screams and glass breaking fading away along with his consciousness and his will to keep fighting against the pain.

….

"You're stupid." It's the first thing he hears when he opens his eyes again. "You're incredibly stupid." Chanyeol blinks, confused. He's not in Baekhyun's small house anymore; the moldy, brown bricks and old furniture have been replaced by large, pristine, marble walls with subtle carved details in the higher corners of the ceiling. The white light is too bright for comfort and the soft, silky covers stick to his sweaty skin.

Chanyeol looks around, his eyes widening in fear and surprise when he spots the wizard sitting on the armchair next to the bed. He scrambles around the sheets, ignoring the pounding headache and the pain on his neck as he desperately tries to find his wand.

"Calm down." Kyungsoo rolls his eyes. "It is me. You can't be stupid enough to fall on the same trap twice."

"Where am I? Is Baekhyun okay? Where's my wand?" His voice sounds deeper than usual, raspy and forced.

"Your wand is right next to you." Kyungsoo points at the space next to his pillow. "And you're in my house in Scotland. Baekhyun is downstairs, Berry was so happy when she saw him, the poor elf almost disappears." Kyungsoo scoffs.

Chanyeol scratches the back of his head and takes his wand, removing the cover from his body and carefully sits up, making sure he's not gonna get dizzy anymore. His hand instinctively travels to his neck, but there's nothing there.

"I healed you." Kyungsoo says, reminding Chanyeol of his presence.

"What happened?" He mumbles.

"Someone attacked me. I was supposed to meet with Baekhyun at Hogsmeade. Fortunately, Jongin found me fast and managed to wake me up. The man was looking for Baekhyun."

"Hunters?" Chanyeol asks, alarmed.

Kyungsoo nods. "My father had to intervene. Apparently, this man has been watching us for months, that’s how he knew our every move. He just needed a chance to act on it.” He explains, rubbing his fingers together on what Chanyeol is pretty sure, is contained rage. “He had everything ready, the Polyjuice potion, the exact location of Baekhyun’s house. He followed you, didn’t you see him?” Chanyeol blinks, then he shakes his head and looks down, feeling terribly ashamed for not have being more careful. “It was just our luck that Baekhyun managed to get out of there before… he wasn’t alone, though, but the others escaped.”

“What?”

“Father is on it. He’s trying to be as careful as possible. The Ministry can’t know there’s a male veela among us. They will take him away if they do.” Kyungsoo mumbles.

“What do you mean _take him away_?” Chanyeol feels the vile climbing up his throat. “What about Minerva?”

“Minerva is just as deep in this as we are. She’s doing something illegal just by knowing about Baekhyun’s existence and keeping to herself. If Baekhyun goes down, we all go down.” Kyungsoo answers. Chanyeol blinks, still confused. The younger puffs his cheeks and closes his eyes before answering. “They would take Baekhyun and put him in captivity, like an animal.”

“They can’t do that!” Chanyeol exclaims, his fist curling in tight fists.

“They can. Male veelas are considered dangerous and unpredictable. People fear what they can’t understand.”

“Does… Baekhyun knows about this?”

“No and we should keep it that way. I don’t want to scare him.”

Chanyeol opens his mouth, but before he can say anything else, the double doors of the room are being opened and a very fast and desperate Baekhyun is running towards him. The older climbs on the bed, clinging onto him and Chanyeol has to wrap his arms around the smaller body to prevent the fall.

"You're okay." Baekhyun mumbles on his neck.

"I am. Are you okay?" Baekhyun nods and his hold around him tightens. Chanyeol glances up, seeing how silently, Kyungsoo walks towards the door, giving him one last look before leaving the room..

"I went out to the market, before people would crowd the place. I wanted to buy something for breakfast and I was also supposed to meet with Kyungsoo there. That's when I felt it, the danger." Baekhyun shivers in his arms. "I've never felt anything like that before. It was awful, I couldn't breathe and─"

"Baek─"

"I dropped everything and ran back to the house but Jongin found me before I could get to you and took me here. He said Kyungsoo would handle it all."

"Great, now I owe my life to that snake." Chanyeol scoffs and rolls his eyes. He feels a pinch of guilt in chest, for speaking about Kyungsoo like that, after knowing what he’s doing for them and because the last thing he knows is to lie to Baekhyun, but it’s for his─ _their_ own good.

"Don't talk about him like that." Baekhyun softly slaps his chest. "He's my friend and he helped us."

Chanyeol sighs. "I know, I know. I'm sorry."

"I thought I was going to lose you. It's a terrible feeling." Baekhyun frowns and moves to sit on his side. Only then, Chanyeol notices Baekhyun hasn’t changed his form: his hair is blond and his eyes are blue.

"The bond?"

The blond nods. "I knew it was strong, but not _that_ strong."

Chanyeol chuckles. "Come here." He says and takes Baekhyun by the hand to pull him close again and make him sit on his lap. Baekhyun rests his head on the taller's shoulder and sighs. "We're okay. I'm sure Kyungsoo took all the precautions before we came here. I won't let anything happen to you. Even if you can throw fire from your hands and pull out those amazing wings," Baekhyun giggles "I'll protect you."

"I love you." The blond mumbles.

"I love you too." Chanyeol says and kisses his forehead.

"Now, could you please take a shower? You stink." Baekhyun says and jumps off Chanyeol's lap, heading to the door.

Chanyeol laughs and shakes his head, getting on his feet and taking the folded pieces of clothes resting on a corner of the bed, assuming they were left there for him and walks towards the bathroom.

The uneasiness doesn’t leave his stomach. A bad feeling pulsing in his chest. Chanyeol knows this isn’t even close to be over.


	12. Not over.

“What are we going to do?” Chanyeol asks the moment he sees Kyungsoo entering the living room.

“About what?” The wizard quirks an eyebrow. He’s holding a steamy mug of tea on his hands.

“About all what’s happening?” Chanyeol stands up. “You can’t tell me you’re thinking about just… stay here and pretend everything is fine.”

“I’m not pretending anything, Chanyeol.” Kyungsoo frowns, he leaves the mug over the coffee table and glares back at the taller while he sits down on the couch. “But unlike you, I like being careful. Don’t forget we’re doing this for Baekhyun.”

“Exactly!” Chanyeol exclaims, instantly shutting his mouth before anyone can hear him. “I’ve been lucky enough that Baekhyun hasn’t been able to feel my distress, but I don’t know how long I’ll be able to do it.”

“Well, you’ll have to. At least until we know what to do.”

In that moment the door of the living room opens. Kyungsoo and Chanyeol turn their heads around, only to feel a surge of relief through their bodies when they see Jongin walking in with a frown on his face.

“Could you guys keep it down? I can hear you all the way down the hall.” Jongin says in between gritted teeth.

Kyungsoo looks at the younger and then at Chanyeol. "What are you suggesting, then?" He stands up from the couch and walks towards the window, moving the heavy curtains aside a little to look through the tinted glass. He blinks a few times, helping his eyes get used to the darkness outside and trying to look beyond the blurriness of the protective charms surrounding the manor.

He doesn't want to start losing the rationality he has left; Kyungsoo knows that, in case that anything happens, he’ll be the only one capable to think with his head cold, knowing how Chanyeol and Jongin tend to overreact under situations out of their control; but there's still something stirring at his gut by Chanyeol's words; he had spent the following days after the incident thinking about it, trying to convince himself that there was nothing to worry about and still, casting all the protective spells he knew around the house and adjacent lands.

"I think Baekhyun should stay here, at least until we know what’s going on." Chanyeol answers.

"We have to go back to Hogwarts in two weeks." Jongin says.

"I─ I'm thinking about not going back." Chanyeol mumbles. Jongin’s eyes widens, Kyungsoo snaps his head towards him.

"You can't do that!" Jongin exclaims. He stomps his way towards Chanyeol to stand in front of him.

"Don't─ don't be so loud!" Chanyeol hisses. "It will be only for a few days, I don't want to leave Baekhyun alone and I don't think the school is safe for him right now."

"And what are you planning to tell him? Or McGonagall for that matter." Jongin says, the frown on his face deepening. Kyungsoo walks to stand by his side, wrapping his hand around his boyfriend’s bicep to calm the sudden anxious aura growing around him.

“I think she’ll understand. I’m pretty sure she knows what happened by now.” Chanyeol shrugs.

“Kyungsoo is right. You really are stupid, you know?” Jongin folds his arms across his chest.

“I’ve been cursed twice in the last few months. Twice!” Chanyeol exclaims. “And I almost get killed another couple of times. I’m not risking it again and I’m not risking Baekhyun either. So far we’ve been lucky, who knows how much that is gonna last. I’m worried about his family too.”

“His family is fine, I check on them once a week.” Kyungsoo shakes his head. He then sighs, chewing on his lower lip, deep in thought. “I’m not saying I totally agree with this, but you for now, we should take all the necessary precautions. I’ll talk to McGonagall myself so you two don’t have to leave the house─“

“Kyungsoo, please I─ what?” Chanyeol blinks, confused. “You’re going to help me?”

“I’m doing it for him, not you, let’s get that clear.” Chanyeol rolls his eyes and nods, mumbling a barely audible _yeah, sure_ and sits back down. “You can stay here for as long as necessary. Berry can take care of all your needs. I’m sure Minerva won’t have any problem, considering the situation.”

“Soo!” Jongin exclaims. “You can seriously be considering this nonsense. Baekhyun could perfectly go back to Hogwarts with us, we can all watch over him and─”

“Chanyeol is right.” Kyungsoo interrupts his boyfriend. Jongin abruptly stops talking, his eyes widening and mouth hanging open at the older’s words.

 _“Chanyeol is right?”_ Jongin almost screeches. “Since when you’re on his side? This idea is totally insane.” He shakes his head as he starts to walk from one side of the room to the other, mumbling things like _the world has gone mad_ and _I can’t believe this is happening_.

“Jongin, baby, stop.” Kyungsoo takes him by wrists, stopping him from making a hole on the marbled floors. “It will only be for a few days, until we can be sure nothing’s going to happen to Baekhyun.”

Jongin’s upper lip slightly trembles and he opens his mouth to voice out his opinion. He has to admit, at least to himself, that he’s jealous. He had tried to suppress that feeling, considering his best friend and boyfriend were only trying to keep the guy safe, but he can’t help it anymore, not when lately, he’s also been thinking how the source to all their problems is Baekhyun. It all started when he appeared on Chanyeol’s life. He knows he has no reason to feel like that and still, he’s been selfish. Jongin sighs and tries to shake those thoughts out, not wanting to think about what could happen if one of them ever found out about his feelings.

“Fine.” He mumbles and looks away, pulling on his arms to get away from Kyungsoo’s hold. The older frowns in concern and opens his mouth, but he doesn’t get to speak when the double wooden doors of the room are pushed open. A soft giggle echoes in the room and the three of them look around, finding Baekhyun being pulled along by a very eager Berry.

Baekhyun doesn’t seem to mind the fact that he has to bend over half of his body in order to keep up with the elf. He’s looking at her with fondness in his eyes and a warm smile on his lips.

“Pretty master Baekhyun has eaten.” Berry announces once they come to a stop near the rest of them. “Berry made sure to feed him well.”

“Thank you, little one.” Chanyeol says instead, smiling at the elf. He chuckles when Berry looks down and fidgets on her feet, aware of the faint blush on Berry’s cheeks. Baekhyun scratches the back of the elf’s right ear before moving away from her hold to stand next to Chanyeol. The taller is quick to wrap the veela’s waist with his arm.

“Get some rest, darling.” Kyungsoo says, giving the elf a warm smile. Berry nods and with a snap of her fingers, she disappears from the living room, leaving a cloud of white smoke behind. “We should do the same.”

Baekhyun is the first one to take Chanyeol by the hand and drag him out of the living room, giggling and clinging to his arm. Chanyeol can't help the warmth expanding on his chest, his heart swelling at the beautiful smile Baekhyun displays. It makes him happy to know that that smile is caused by him and it's also exclusively his. Now more than ever, Chanyeol is convinced that he _needs_ to keep that smile on Baekhyun’s face, no matter what he has to do.

The blonde falls down on their bed while Chanyeol closes the door behind him. He walks slowly towards the bed and climbs on it; the smirk on Baekhyun's face appears as he props himself on his elbows to lift half of his body. Chanyeol hovers over him, almost straddling him and leans down, nuzzling his nose on the expose skin of Baekhyun's neck.

"You smell so good." He mumbles, leaving a small kiss there. Baekhyun hums, his hand moving up to the back of the younger's neck.

"You know, I think you should spend more time with Jongin." Baekhyun casually says while tilting his head to the side to give Chanyeol more space.

"What?" Chanyeol lifts his head, a confused frown marring his face.

"He's jealous. He thinks you're replacing him."

"How do you know that?"

"I can _smell_ it. Every time I'm in the same room, he exudes jealousy. He's your best friend and I know how important you are to each other. I wouldn't like for you two to start drifting apart because of me."

Chanyeol laughs. "That won't happen, Jongin understands that─"

"Promise me." He cups Chanyeol's with his hands. The younger sighs.

"Fine, okay. I promise."

"Thank you." Baekhyun smiles again and pulls him for a small kiss. "I'm glad we're here. I thought for a moment that I was going to lose you."

"And I thought for a moment that I was going to die. I swear if I have to go through another _Cruciatus_ curse again, I'll kill myself."

"I'm sorry. I was 100% sure I was being careful." Baekhyun bites on his lower lip and looks away.

"Is not your fault, you couldn't have known."

"But I should have."

"Don't worry anymore, okay?" Chanyeol mumbles, leaning down again and starting to trail small kisses along Baekhyun's jaw. "We'll stay here until we're sure you're out of danger."

"School is starting soon."

"I'm not going back." Chanyeol says. Baekhyun stops his fingers from massaging the back of Chanyeol's neck and looks at him.

"What are you talking about?"

"Well, Kyungsoo and I thought it’s a good idea for me and you to stay here for a while. It's safer and─"

"You're crazy." Baekhyun interrupts and frowns. "You can't do that."

"Kyungsoo will talk to McGonagall, She'll understand─"

"Is not about that!" Baekhyun exclaims, pushing Chanyeol away rather harshly and jumps out of the bed, exasperatedly starting to walk around the room. "Did you even think about taking into consideration what _I_ think about this?"

"It's for your own good!" Chanyeol does the same, taking long strides to where his boyfriend is standing near the window. "And my peace of mind."

"I thought you’d understood my point here." Baekhyun mumbles

"Well, apparently I didn't." Chanyeol frowns, crossing his arms against his chest and opting a defensive position with his body. Clearly confused and annoyed, he wasn’t expecting for Baekhyun to react this way. "Care to explain?"

Baekhyun sighs. "I don't want to mess up your life, Yeol. I want you to keep living it as you always have, don't let me change it."

"Of course you came to change my life and I wouldn’t have it any other way, Baek," Chanyeol relaxes his body, he looks down for a second and then up again to the blond, who's currently avoiding his gaze "but you have to understand that I would die if something happens to you, that's why I'm doing this."

"And what? Live the rest of your life locked in here?" He snorts and the scowl on Chanyeol's face is back.

"I'm just trying to protect you. To protect _us_."

"You're being ridiculous, I don't need protection."

Chanyeol opens his mouth and closes it again, holding back the urge to just spill everything to Baekhyun. He had thought he was doing the right thing, he had thought that Baekhyun would understand what he was trying to do and he had thought that he was being a good boyfriend. He thought wrong and now, he doesn't know how to handle the situation, a part of him is mad at Baekhyun's behavior, but the other is trying hard to find an argument valid enough to make Baekhyun understand why he’s doing what he’s doing.

"You think so?” Chanyeol asks. Baekhyun nods. “Fine then, do whatever you want." He says as he takes long strides towards the door and leaves the room, leaving a gaping Baekhyun behind.

…

"Are you going to tell me what is going on with you?" Kyungsoo asks softly as he sits on the high stool on the kitchen island. Jongin has being silent since they left the leaving room, avoiding his eyes and constantly chewing on his lip. Kyungsoo knows him enough to tell that something is not right.

"Nothing." He mumbles. Kyungsoo hums, not wanting to pressure his boyfriend to talk. He'll get there soon. Kyungsoo pulls the cookie jar form the center of the table and removes the lid, letting the sweet smell of freshly baked coconut vanilla cookies fill the air. Jongin blinks and glances at his boyfriend, licking at his lip and clearing his throat when he realizes Kyungsoo's hidden intentions.

"Berry baked them a few hours ago." Kyungsoo casually comments. A soft moan leaves his mouth when the sugary treat caresses his taste buds. Jongin pouts. "Delicious, as always and─ oh! Are these cranberries?!"

"What?" Jongin perks up, quickly moving to snatch the jar from Kyungsoo and shoves his hand inside, taking one cookie and popping it whole into his mouth. He sighs in contentment, slowly chewing on the pastry to let the sweetness and sour mix perfectly into his mouth.

"So... are you going to tell me what it's going on?"

Jongin's eyes dance around for a moment before focusing back on Kyungsoo. He sighs and puts the jar back over the table; it's hard for him to ignore that soft look and warm smile that his boyfriend is giving him.

"You're going to laugh."

"Why would I do that?" Kyungsoo quirks an eyebrow.

"Because it's stupid."

"Try me."

"Well, I─"

"You're the one being selfish!" Chanyeol's booming voice echoes through the walls of the corridor outside of the kitchen. Kyungsoo and Jongin look up at the door the moment Chanyeol enters, followed by Baekhyun.

Kyungsoo gasps and jumps off the stool. Eyes widening at the sight of his friend, Baekhyun is striding towards them, his blond hair spiking up in every direction as a sign of anger and his eyes had changed from their usual blue to a bottomless, dark abyss. All warmth is gone and where he's supposed to have fingernails, large and sharp claws bend over his palm. Instinctively, Kyungsoo grabs Jongin by the arm and pulls him closer, standing in front of him on a protective manner.

"What the hell is going on?" Kyungsoo barks, directing his gaze at Chanyeol.

"Ask him." He points at Baekhyun.

Baekhyun seems to enervate, the frown on his face deepens as he slowly open his mouth, showing a row of pointy and sharp teeth. He suddenly pulls out his wings, black, feathery limbs whirring across the kitchen, making everything flutter around.

"I'm not going to keep discussing this with you." Baekhyun growls and Chanyeol scoffs.

"Then don't, if you want to leave then fucking leave."

Baekhyun's nostrils flare and his hands form two tight fists. He doesn't care about the cookie jar that shatters on the floor nor the loud shriek of pain that comes from someone in the room the moment he impels himself up and aims for the nearest window. The glass breaks and Baekhyun is gone. _Again_.

"What the hell did you do?" Kyungsoo growls at him. “ _What the hell did you just do?!_ ”

"Nothing! He was being unreasonable." Chanyeol exclaims, flailing his arms around.

"Veelas are temperamental creatures! Add that to the tension Baekhyun has been feeling lately!" Kyungsoo yells and then sighs, trying to calm himself down. "You do have a hell lot to learn about him. Take your wand."

"Where are you going?" Jongin speaks, gripping his hand around Kyungsoo's arm to stop him.

"To look for him. He probably already crossed the protection barrier. It’s dangerous out there."

"Good luck." Chanyeol deems. "You're on your own this time." He says before disappearing through the kitchen door.


	13. Broken wands.

Chanyeol paces around the room. His brain going mad at all kinds of thoughts about Baekhyun; he's alone in the woods, angry and probably not thinking straight. His intentions were never to upset him like that, he just wanted to protect him and make sure he would be safe for the time being; he didn't expect for Baekhyun to react like that.

His heart is beating fast against his ribcage, a strange and unpleasant feeling settling in his stomach that tells him something is not going right. With a growl, he takes his jacket from where he left it on the armchair near the door and tucks his wand in his inner pocket. Chanyeol runs downstairs, skipping a few steps as he does so and moves across the manor's several halls, arriving just in time to find Kyungsoo getting ready to leave by the back door.

"I'm going with you." He says when both pair of eyes land on him.

Kyungsoo snorts. "Now you're worried?"

"I should be the one not letting you go, I still don't trust you." Chanyeol snarls and strides towards Kyungsoo, using his menacing height to tower over the shorter wizard.

"Too bad, you don't have many options. I know Baekhyun better than you do." Kyungsoo sends him a disgusted look and fixes his tunic.

Chanyeol hates to be reminded of that fact, because it doesn't matter how much he hates it, Kyungsoo is right. Kyungsoo is always right and he hates that too.

"Soo, let me go with you."

Kyungsoo gives Chanyeol a last look and turns to face his boyfriend. "No, I won't risk you. I'll be careful, I promise."

"I can take care of myself."

"I know, but I also know _what’s_ out there. We'll be back soon." And with that, he's gone.

Chanyeol looks at his friend. Jongin stands by the kitchen island with his hands curled into fists and eyes downcast; the taller sigh, knowing what is going on Jongin's head, he reaches for him, but Jongin flinches back. Chanyeol sighs.

"I'll─" Chanyeol has to swallow his pride "I'll take care of him as best as I can." Jongin doesn't say anything. Chanyeol can't lose any more time, so he gives his friend one last look and then, walking through the door and closing it behind him to start following Kyungsoo through the thick mass of trees and bushes that is the manor's backyard.

The forest surrounding the outskirts of the manor is dark and with a musky atmosphere that heaves on Chanyeol's lungs as they make their way through rows and more rows of tall and leafy trees, masses of thorny bushes and branches sticking out everywhere threatening to poke on one of Chanyeol’s eyes at any moment now if he's not careful enough. The moon is covered by the remaining of gray clouds from that afternoon rain, plunging the wood on a dismal and cold environment; Chanyeol can hear the sound of owls hooting in the distance, frogs and the cricketing of crickets gets louder as they go deep into the trees. Sticks and dry leaves crack under his shoes and Chanyeol starts to regret ever bringing the topic of staying in that house for longer to Baekhyun, they wouldn't be in this situation and they definitely wouldn't be risking their own lives.

Chanyeol has never been a fearful person, always daring and challenging himself and with Jongin as his only friend, never having to worry about someone else's well-being. Jongin is a quiet person, calm and peaceful and Chanyeol is more than perfectly fine with that. On top of it all, Jongin also has Kyungsoo, the ever overprotective boyfriend.

But now, since Baekhyun barge into his life giving it a 360 degrees turn, everything has change. Now, he _cares_. A lot more than he ever thought he could care about someone; the sole thought of Baekhyun being out there by himself, probably in danger, makes his stomach churn and his heart beat faster than usual.

"What about the river?" Chanyeol asks after an hour. He's not sure how deep they have gone or where they are, but Kyungsoo seems confident on every step he takes, so Chanyeol follows without hesitation. He might not fully trust the shorter wizard, but he has the feeling that Kyungsoo knows this woods better than he pretends to do.

"I don't think so, Baekhyun's smart enough to not wander that territory at night. If we go there, we'll never get out." Kyungsoo answers, using his hand to remove a branch out of his way and stepping over a protruding root. He waits for Chanyeol to do the same; the taller narrows his eyes and stares at Kyungsoo until the shorter is rolling his eyes and letting out a long sigh. "I might not like you, but if something happens to you while being with me, Jongin and Baekhyun would never forgive me. If you want to find Baekhyun before something really bad happens I suggest you to trust me, I know this place."

"I bet you do." Chanyeol mumbles, finally crossing over the root. "We should split and cover more territory─"

"No, we can't do that, it's dangerous. We'll find him together."

"I still don't understand what I did wrong." Chanyeol says to himself but loud enough for Kyungsoo to hear him as they continue walking.

"Baekhyun is a stubborn one. You two are barely developing your bond, you'll learn how to deal with it and Baekhyun will have to get used to the fact that is not just him anymore."

"What if we never─”

“You’re going to.” Kyungsoo nods his head.

Chanyeol swallows the thick lump in his throat and for the first time since he got to meet Do Kyungsoo, decides he will follow the shorter wizard and trust on his word. What harm can it do? If Kyungsoo really wanted him dead, Chanyeol has the feeling he would already be six feet underground. Not that he will ever consider him his friend, but Chanyeol has to admit he has been of a great help ever since Baekhyun came into his life; maybe he's only doing it because he's Jongin's best friend, or maybe just for Baekhyun. Still, Chanyeol lets the older wizard guide him through the trees.

Chanyeol comes to a stop a moment later, sharpening his hearing as the tune of a melody pierces through his ears. The voice is soft and sweet, but it doesn't compare to the first time he heard Baekhyun singing; the taller tilts his head to the side and frowns, there's the small feeling of strings being pulled in his stomach, barely perceptible, but still there. A certain attraction to search for the source of that voice.

"Do you hear that?" His breath hitches when he hears Kyungsoo's voice so close to his ear. Chanyeol blinks a few times, getting rid of that feeling and then looking at Kyungsoo.

"What is it?"

"Nightly lake creatures." Kyungsoo mumbles. "Mermaids’ cousins or something, deathly and unforgiving. Once you fall in their trap, you'll never be able to get out."

"Aren't mermaids supposed to hypnotize you or something?" Chanyeol quirks an eyebrow.

"That's what they're trying to do. They know we're here. Do you feel anything?"

"A little... what is going on?"

"They're calling on us. You can't feel it as strong as one normally would because of your bond with Baekhyun." Kyungsoo explains and Chanyeol feels a dash of relief run through his body.

"Why can't _you_ feel it?" He asks then, curious.

Kyungsoo shrugs. "I have Jongin." His answer is simple, but is enough for Chanyeol to understand what Kyungsoo is trying to imply. "We need to get going, their singing will soon wake a lot more creatures up. We don't want to be here for when that happens."

Chanyeol nods and quickly moves to follow Kyungsoo through a new path of dirt to their right. The trees open up a little bit more as they move further, letting the dim light of silver moon rays peek through the leaves, illuminating their way. Chanyeol lets out a silent sigh, they've been walking for hours and there's still no signs of Baekhyun anywhere. He's sure that if the boy was close, he would be able to feel him. Yet, there's nothing, only the dreaded feeling that something's not right settling once again on his chest.

"Kyungsoo─"

"Ssshh." The sound coming out of Kyungsoo's mouth is very subtle, but makes Chanyeol come to an abrupt stop as the shorter wizard walks backwards to hide behind a tree, pulling Chanyeol along with him.

"What?" Chanyeol hisses.

"A Pogrebins' colony." Kyungsoo mutters and Chanyeol's eyes widen.

"We can fight them! Easy spells are─" Chanyeol asks as he peeks from over Kyungsoo's shoulder.

"It's a _colony_ , Chanyeol. They'll numb us before we can even get to pronounce any word."

"Then what do you suggest?" He adds. Kyungsoo looks away in thought, pondering on the few ideas that cross his mind in that moment, nothing seems good enough to get them out of that situation. This is the path that leads to an old veela's village and Kyungsoo has the feeling that there is where they need to go, they can't take another route. Rounding the colony is not an option either, if they make the smallest of noise, they'll get caught. "Mind speeding that brain of yours a little?" Chanyeol's voice sounds drowsy. Kyungsoo curses under his breath. "I'm starting to feel a little─"

"Chanyeol, how good were you at Transfiguration class?" Kyungsoo suddenly asks, a deep and confused frown appearing on Chanyeol’s face.

"Good, I guess. Average." Chanyeol shrugs. "I've never been good enough for anything anyway. I─"

Kyungsoo groans. The Pogrebin's effect is starting to work on Chanyeol.

"Hey, don't do that." Kyungsoo grits his teeth, taking Chanyeol by the chin to make him look up and wipe away a few stray tears from his cheeks. "Look at me."

Chanyeol sobs. "I've always been a shame for my parents and now for Baekhyun as well. I’ve never─"

"I need you to listen to me very carefully, Chanyeol. Can you do that?" Chanyeol doesn't answer, he sobs again and his lips tremble. "Damn it! Chanyeol, hey!" Kyungsoo pats his cheeks to try and bring Chanyeol back. "Listen to me. I need you to focus, take your wand." Chanyeol does with shaky hands. "I need you to shift into an animal. Anything small, something I can carry on my claws, do you understand me?"

"I don't know if I can, I'm not good." Chanyeol shakes his head.

"Yes you are." Kyungsoo whines, starting to get desperate, giving Chanyeol words of encouragement not being his cup of tea. "I know you are, I've seen you, okay?"

The taller chews on his lower lip in doubt, but nods in the end; Kyungsoo sighs, relieved. "I'll set a spell so we can communicate. Don't freak out if you hear my voice in your head, ready?"

Chanyeol nods his head slowly as Kyungsoo lets him go. The taller closes his eyes and sighs, pointing his wand at himself while he tries to remember the exact words; he knows he's perfectly capable of casting a spell without having to express the words, but this will be the first time he tries something on himself; his mind wanders back to when he was still a child, he can see himself running around the backyard, screaming and laughing as he chases the small animal while he tries to catch it; the hint of a smile curls on the corner of his mouth and before he knows it, there's the familiar sensation of tickles running through his body. His breath hitches and when he opens his eyes again, everything looks a hundred times bigger.

He looks around, so fast that he can feel the world spinning around him. Chanyeol is sure he can hear himself squeaking and his nose constantly scrunching up as he takes in all the new sensations. He can hear even the faintest of sounds and he swears he can smell every single particle of dirt on the ground under his tiny little feet.

 _"A ferret, really?"_ His ears perk up at the voice. His head moves even faster trying to find the source. _"Up here, idiot."_ The ferret looks up to find a very familiar black owl standing on a lower branch of the tree they were hiding behind just a moment ago.

 _"You said something small! I couldn't think of anything else."_ Chanyeol defends himself. If owls could roll their eyes...

_"Anyway... I'm going to grab you now, don't move too much or I'll hurt you."_

_"What do you mean grab m─"_ Chanyeol screeches, interrupting himself as Kyungsoo dives in with his wings sprawled out and leans back a little in the air to extend his legs  before his claws are clutching around the coppery ferret's slim torso. _"What the fuck, what the fuck!"_ Chanyeol exclaims, short arms and legs flailing as Kyungsoo takes them up and away from the danger. _"Y-you─ you know─"_ he swallows _"I'm afraid of heights."_ Chanyeol's voice wavers a little.

_"Too bad. I can't risk losing you down there."_

_"W-where are we going?"_ Chanyeol asks on an attempt to distract himself.

_"There's an old veela's village a few miles from here. That path was supposed to take us there. Baekhyun used to live there with his kin before all this hunters' thing happened. He took me there once."_

_"And...?"_

_"And I have a feeling he might be there."_

_"I can't feel him, Kyungsoo. What if something bad already happened?"_

_"I thought you were more optimistic."_ The owl huffs. Chanyeol squeaks again when the bird takes a sharp turn around a row of trees.

 _"Is not that I don't believe we'll find him, it's just─ ah!"_ Chanyeol yells when Kyungsoo attempts to jokingly drop him; the owl winces. _"What the fuck is wrong with you?!"_

_"You're the fattest ferret I've seen in my life. My legs are numb."_

_"I didn't ask you to carry me!"_

_"I'm being practical, we're almost there anyway."_

Chanyeol's small head starts to move, looking around for any sign of life among the trees, but everything is just as still and quiet as it was since Kyungsoo started to fly; he glances up and scoffs, Kyungsoo is probably lying.

 _"I'm not lying."_ The owl says.

_"How did you─"_

_"You think too loud."_

_"Stop messing with my head."_

_"Shut up, would you? I have to drop you now."_

_"D-drop me?"_ Chanyeol's voice comes out strangled. _"What do you mean?"_

_"I can't carry you to the village. If there's someone there they'll definitely see an owl carrying a fat ferret."_

_"You can─ you know, put me down nice and soft? No one will get hurt and─"_

_"There you go!"_ The owl's claws open and Chanyeol screams, his arms and legs flailing in the air as he falls.

His small body hits the ground a few seconds later, hard. Chanyeol groans when his body shifts back to his normal form, finally feeling all the pain from the fall; he curses up at Kyungsoo and the owl hoots in the air. The taller shakes his head and sighs, moving to hide behind another tree while he waits for Kyungsoo; he stretches his arms and legs, getting used to his long limbs again.

Kyungsoo appears a moment later, looking as unaffected and composed as he always does. "You're an idiot." He shakes his head when he sees the small cuts on Chanyeol's cheeks.

"I'm not used to it like you are." Chanyeol grits his teeth. Kyungsoo shrugs and motions Chanyeol to follow him. "Pretty convenient, don't you think?" He continues talking, catching up with the shorter wizard. "I shifted into a ferret and you're an owl, a natural predat─" Chanyeol is cut off from his rambling by an arm to his stomach.

Kyungsoo abruptly stops, urging Chanyeol to shut up pressing a finger to his lips. Chanyeol frowns, confused as he follows the shorter's gaze.

In front of them, right across the trees where they were hiding, four rows of huts are lined in parallel, forming a perfect square; they look old, the roofs almost at the brink of falling down, walls and doors are creaked and where Chanyeol supposes used to be a well, there's nothing more but weed growing in and around the stone and wood structure. Chanyeol doesn't notice it at first, he stands there until Kyungsoo starts to move slowly and making sure he stays behind the trees. There's a light coming out of the last hut of the second row, a dim flickering source of light that casts shadows inside the small house's walls.

"Do you think it's him?" Chanyeol mumbles as he comes to stand behind Kyungsoo.

"No... it's not him." Kyungsoo answers and then he's scurrying away from the trees to now hide behind the walls of a hut. Chanyeol groans and follows

"You could at least tell me when you're about to make a move." He grits his teeth.

"Ssshh! Listen." He commands and Chanyeol shuts his mouth, sharpening his ears. There's nothing the first ten seconds, just the rustling of the tree branches as the wind sways them along, then a few voices can he heard in the distance.

"What are they saying?"

"I don't know, but there's more than one."

They stay quiet for another moment. The falling door of the illuminated hut suddenly opens, a man steps out into the cold, holding a rusty bucket in one hand and his wand on the other. Kyungsoo presses himself further into the wooden wall of the hut and narrows his eyes.

"That veela boy was harder than I thought!" The man exclaims as he jumps over a few roots and dumps the contents of the bucket on the ground. "You better draw all that blood and leave him with a nice bald head! This is disgusting, can’t they take their own shit out?" He grumbles.

Chanyeol's eyes widen, it can't be. It can't be Baekhyun. With his mind clouded and his brain going into overdrive, he steps out from their hiding place and runs, wand pointing at the man.

"Damn it!" Kyungsoo curses and starts to run after Chanyeol. When he arrives, the man has Chanyeol pinned up against the trunk of a tree, the point of his wand digging on the taller's cheek. "Let him go." Kyungsoo says with a flat tone once he's close enough, his voice remains calm. "Now." The man laughs.

"And what are you going to do, kid?" The man asks with mockery, never taking his eyes off of Chanyeol.

"It would be so easy to just kill you right now." Kyungsoo’s voice is menacing, but the determination on the man's eyes doesn’t wavers; then a smirk spreads on his lips as he presses the tip of his wand harder against Chanyeol cheek.

"Kids these days." He mumbles and sighs, shaking his head as he does so. The man takes a quick glance back to where Kyungsoo is still pointing at him, at the same time Chanyeol feels the pressure of the man's wand on his skin soften, he takes it as his cue to struggle against the man's hold, using his elbow to dab him on the shoulder and his knee to kick him in between his legs. The man groans, the hand that has been holding him against the tree loses his hold and Chanyeol falls to the ground on his knees and hands, he gets fast on his feet, but before he can do anything else, Kyungsoo is already acting, wand pointing in their direction. "You little basta─" The man holds his wand up again, but isn't able to finish his sentence as a blinding flash of green light illuminates the forest. The man falls limp to his feet, unconscious; it doesn't take long for Chanyeol to realize what just happened.

"Did─ did you just killed him?" He asks, eyes wide as Kyungsoo gets closer.

The shorter moves fast, breaking the wand he just used and tossing it to the floor. "It was an unregistered wand. I stole from the Ministry, I knew it would come in handy." Kyungsoo pants, pulling out from his back pocket his real wand. Chanyeol open his mouth, but nothing comes out, too shocked to form actual words _"Incendio!"_ Kyungsoo exclaims and the broken wand burst into flames in a matter of seconds. "No one will ever know who used it." The ghost of a smirk crosses his face, making Chanyeol shiver, unsure of what to do next. "Come on, I don't have a good feeling." He starts walking. Stumbling, Chanyeol follows behind and around the second row of huts near the one where the others are.

Chanyeol doesn't wait for Kyungsoo to say anything, he dashes forward and kicks what is left of the door open. There's only a few gas lamps around, the air inside is heavy and hot, loaded with the thick and metallic smell of blood. What he sees has his heart beating erratically in his chest, all his blood runs cold as he stumbles a few steps, almost tripping with a broken part of the floor.

Baekhyun is sitting on an old chair, ankles tied to the legs and his head down, unconscious. There's a thick rope around his chest and his arms are hanging down, two deep cuts that go from side to side on his wrist. On the floor are two containers, one on each side, silently catching drop by drop of blood that falls from Baekhyun's arms.

His eyes then move to the other side, where another chair remains empty and covered in fresh blood, chunks of what it looks like flesh scattered around the floor. Chanyeol feels like throwing up. Unable to stop thinking of what just possibly happened and how, maybe, if they had get there sooner, they might have been able to stop it.

Chanyeol feels the burn settling on his stomach, rage and anger cursing through his body as the hold on his wand tightens. The man standing near Baekhyun turns around, eyes wide open as he stares at Chanyeol, confused for the sudden appearance.

"Chanyeol!" Kyungsoo barges in a minute later. He blinks a few times when he takes in the scene developing in front of him. _"Ex─!"_ Kyungsoo gasps, his wand flying away from his hand. An arm wraps itself around his neck and the shorter feels as something sharp digs on his neck.

"You move, I slit your throat." A raspy voice says on his ear. Kyungsoo frowns.

"How dare you threaten _a_ wizard, you filthy mudblood─"

"Shut up." The knife digs further into his skin. Kyungsoo hisses. "From all people... I didn't expect to see _you_ here, Do Kyungsoo. How's your father? Last time I saw him he was sending one of us to Azkaban." His tone is mocking.

Chanyeol stands in the middle of the room, unmoving. The other man now stands behind Baekhyun, his wand pointing at the blond's temple, ready to attack at the smallest of movements from Chanyeol.

"I would have killed him myself.” Kyungsoo spits. “And soon you’ll be─"

"Does Do Kyungjae knows that his son is involved in all these dark matters? What does he thinks about his son being a murderer?" The man says in between gritted teeth. “You knew we were not going to just let the opportunity pass again, we might have failed back at Hogsmeade, but this time…” the man takes Kyungsoo by the chin and forces him to look up front, to where Baekhyun is “look at him. Isn’t he precious? I have to admit the boy put up a good fight, but nothing we couldn’t fix.” He says, a condescending tone on his voice. “But you’re right on time for the show! Too bad you missed the veela girl, she was a pretty good screamer. But don’t worry, I’ll make sure you see everything.” The man speaks on Kyungsoo’s ear. Kyungsoo struggles on his hold. “You see, I find a certain pleasure when these beauties scream for help. When I peel their skin off of their bodies and pull their eyes out. Fascinating.”

"You sick─ bastard!" In that moment, Kyungsoo gathers all the strength he can and thrashes back, pushing the man against the wooden wall and shoving his elbow on his ribs. The shorter spins around rather fast and his fist collides with the other wizard's face; a few more punches on his face and stomach and the man drops his wand as he falls to the floor, he scrambles around trying to take it back, but Kyungsoo is stepping over his hand, crushing his fingers. A sharp scream leaves his mouth.

Chanyeol shivers, the sound of bones breaking echoing on his ears. The man with Baekhyun seems distracted enough, debating in between staying where he is or move to help his friend; Chanyeol is finally able to move silently and carefully; he stops by the side of a small and old wooden table where a few knives and another trinkets Chanyeol doesn't recognize, rest. He lifts a shaky hand and taking a deep breathe, he mutters the words; an intense gush of red light abandons his wand and the man is violently send flying across the room and through the wooden wall, destroying everything on his way. Chanyeol reaches for Baekhyun before the chair can fall back.

"Baekhyun!" Chanyeol pats the blonde's cheek. "Baek, wake up please, please!" He pleads, his hands struggling to remove all ropes. He places Baekhyun's arms up on his lap to stop the blood from keep pouring out and takes his jacket to start ripping it up with the help of his teeth. He ties a few pieces of fabric around Baekhyun's arms to stop the bleeding and then takes the unconscious boy on his arms.

Chanyeol steps out in the cold with Baekhyun on his arms, pulling him closer against his body to protect him from the cold, struggling as he tries to hold his wand up just in case anything else happens. He does his best to ignore the rays of green light coming from the inside of the hut and waits for Kyungsoo to come out too. The shorter is limping, the lower part of his pants ripped up and there's a bleeding cut on his leg, a chunk of meat hangs from a thin thread of skin.

"Kyungsoo─"

"I'm fine. We have to get out of here. All this chaos probably woke the forest up. I don’t want to stay to find out."

"But your leg─"

"I said I'm fine. Baekhyun is in no conditions to _Apparate_ so we’ll have to walk." Kyungsoo says as he limps is way out of the village.

Chanyeol can't say anything else, knowing it will be useless to try and convince Kyungsoo to check on his leg first; besides, his only preoccupation right now is to take Baekhyun back to the manor safe and most importantly, alive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A Pogrebin is a Russian demon that can take the shape of a rock to hide from the human eye. After a moment is when you start to feel the dispair, feel lethargic and sink to your knees to weep at how pointless everything is. That's when the demon will eat you alive.


	14. Yixing.

The way back to the manor feels like an eternity. With Kyungsoo limping his way through the dirt path, trying really hard not to voice out his pain and with Chanyeol carrying an unconscious Baekhyun on his back.

Temperatures have dropped even more ever since they left the village. After Kyungsoo had casted deafening charms on themselves to not be affected by all the sounds around them and he managed to drag the bodies of the hunters’ out of the huts and to the lake, where death by a dangerous magical creature would be more credible, he guided them through the trees, across the same path they should have come from if they hadn’t have to avoid the Pogrebins’ colony earlier. But the sky is on its darker point, right before dawn comes. It shouldn’t be so risky now.

Chanyeol can hear Kyungsoo panting and groaning at every step they take, at the same time he feels Baekhyun's breathing slowing down by the minute. It's still a long way to the manor.

"Chanyeol." Kyungsoo breaths out, stopping and having to support himself on a tree. "I can't keep going, I need to shift." He hisses. Chanyeol sees him adding pressure on his thigh.

"What? N-no, I can't go back on my own. I don't know how!" Chanyeol whispers, shifting Baekhyun’s weight over his back.

"Just stay on the path, it will take you straight to the manor." Kyungsoo says before abruptly, and almost unsuccessfully, shifting to the familiar black owl again.

The bird takes off, wavering as it tries to take speed and height. Chanyeol watches it disappear through the trees and curses under his breath, resuming his own way and rushing on his step; he can _feel_ Baekhyun's energy slowly zipping out of his own body.

….

Jongin paces around the large living room nervously, hand gripping tightly on his wand. Berry follows his every step, fidgeting with her fingers and whimpering every time Jongin groans in desperation.

It's been around seven hours since they left, and he feels like snapping his wand in half. Kyungsoo shouldn't be out there, he shouldn't be risking his life for someone that might as well be dead by now. _Chanyeol_ shouldn't be out there looking for someone who obviously doesn't appreciate what his friend is trying to do for him; they would be so much better if Baekhyun had never come into their lives.

Jongin wants to feel bad for the selfish thoughts, he knows he shouldn't be thinking like that, because he also knows what Baekhyun means to Chanyeol, what he means for his boyfriend, but he just can't help it.

"M-master Jongin," Berry speaks, pulling on the back of Jongin’s shirt "Berry can go out there and look─"

"No." Jongin snaps and the elf cowers. He sighs and shakes his head. "I can't let you go out there on your own."

"Berry can take care of herself." The elf bobs her head up and down.

"I know you can, but still..."

"But Ber─"

A loud crash interrupts Berry’s sentence. The elf shrieks and jumps back, falling to the floor on her butt when the glass of the largest window on the living room breaks and the black bird comes in swirling rapidly in the air. Jongin watches from where he has glued his back to the wall how the owl shifts mid-air and a larger body collapses against the coffee table, breaking everything on his way and rolling off over the shattered glass.

Kyungsoo, half conscious, groans and tries to lift himself up by supporting his hands on the floor, but he falls back when small pieces of glass dig into his palms. His whole body hurts like hell and he can't feel his legs anymore.

Jongin curses when the initial shock has passed and he sees Kyungsoo lying there. He runs to kneel on his side and carefully flips him over, Kyungsoo hisses. His robe it's dirty and torn, his face has scratches everywhere and tiny pieces of glass incrusted on his skin; the wizard coughs the moment Jongin pulls him over his lap to keep his head up.

"Berry?" Kyungsoo says with difficulty, his voice raspy and barely audible, but the elf is soon by his side. "Go look for them, they─ they shouldn't be too far."

The elf nods and with a flick of her finger, she's gone.

"Did you find him?" Jongin asks. Kyungsoo swallows and nods. "Fuck, Soo, look at you." He adds, desperately moving his hands around his boyfriend’s face, but avoiding to touch him so he won’t hurt him even more. Jongin clenches his jaw tightly, he knew this was a bad idea.

"Call Yixing." Kyungsoo manages to say before he lets himself pass out from exhaustion and pain.

….

Chanyeol sits on the couch, upper body bent in half and face buried in between his knees while Berry moves around the living room, cleaning the mess with a few snaps of her fingers.

Yixing had arrived around 30 minutes ago, treating Kyungsoo's wounds as quick as possible and giving him a healing potion, then rushed to the room where they had left Baekhyun to rest, closing and locking the door behind him. It has been silent since then. Chanyeol looks at an exhausted Kyungsoo, resting his head on Jongin's shoulder with his eyes closed while Jongin soothingly rubs his arm with his hand.

Jongin hasn't spoken a word to Chanyeol since they stepped into the house and he doesn't blame him, but Chanyeol would like to feel he also has someone by his side right now; he’s been holding the urge to cry for so long, his eyes are starting to burn. His throat feels dry, just as his mouth, but the sole thought of ingesting anything at the moment makes him feel like throwing up.

"Jong─" Chanyeol starts, but it's interrupted by the steps echoing on the hall outside the living room. He gets on his feet the moment Yixing enters the large room, followed by Berry.

Kyungsoo struggles to do the same, ignoring Jongin's scolding, asking him to be careful.

"And?" Chanyeol asks firsts.

Yixing sighs. "With the poison they used, it was really hard to find a potion that could help him. Not all of them are effective on magical creatures, much less on a pure blooded one like Baekhyun." He explains.

"But you found one, right?" Chanyeol asks then, taking a step closer to the healer.

"Yes, but I must warn you, it's not going be an easy night for Baekhyun, neither for you, boy." Yixing looks at Chanyeol with something akin to pity in his eyes. Chanyeol frowns.

"What do you mean?"

"It's going to hurt. A lot. Baekhyun is going to experience a pain similar to the one he would feel if his body was on fire."

"Can't you─" Chanyeol swallows "can't you do anything about it?"

"I'm afraid not." Yixing answers, shaking his head at the same time. "His blood is not the same as a regular person’s and it had high levels of poison in it. All we have to do now is wait."

"But... why?" Kyungsoo's voice sounds weak. Jongin moves fast to stand next to him, placing a hand on his hip to help him steady himself. "I mean... they wanted his blood, right?" He clears his throat to get rid of the raspiness.

"That was my first thought, yes. But if Baekhyun gave him a hard time, then the only option they had was poison, to numb him." The healer explains. "Then I thought they could be using the old school method, but even back then purifying veela's blood once out of their bodies was ineffective and tended to reduce the blood's value in the market... but then I remembered that..." Yixing pauses, glancing at Chanyeol, hesitating on if he should continue or not.

"What?" Kyungsoo urges him.

"Their eyes." He mumbles.

Chanyeol feels sick to his stomach. "For what?"

"The clear color of their eyes had been proved to be more effective on the making of some forbidden potions. Especially the green and blue ones, like Baekhyun's. The clearer, the better."

Chanyeol groans, rubbing his face in frustration as he starts moving in small circles around the room. "This is so fucked up." He says, voice muffled by his hands over his mouth.

“It might take a while," Yixing rushes to say “but let’s hope he comes out of this.”

"Can I see him?" Chanyeol asks, once again standing near Kyungsoo.

"I wouldn't recommend that." The healer says carefully. "I don't think you'll be able to handle what is coming. I do suggest you to cast a silencing spell on his room if... if you don't want to hear him in pain."

Chanyeol swallows. He glances at Kyungsoo, who's looking at Yixing, jaw clenched tightly and fisting his hands on his sides.

"How long it will take?"

"I can't tell you for sure, all we can do is wait─" The healer is interrupted by a sharp scream reverberating through the whole house, bouncing on the walls and echoing on the halls, filling every corner. Chanyeol feels his hands starting to shake and he takes a step closer; he doesn't care about what the healer is saying, he _needs_ to be with Baekhyun. Yixing grabs him by the arm, stopping him before he can go any further. "Don't─" Another scream rips through the air.

"He needs me." Chanyeol hisses.

"I know and I understand─"

"No you don't!" The younger wizard snarls at him.

"Yes I do." The grip of Yixing's hand around his arm tightens and the determination in his eyes makes Chanyeol stop any attempt to get himself free.

The screams and cries become louder and more frequent. Chanyeol shuts his eyes and unconsciously leans on Yixing's hold, his knees starting to weaken, not strong enough to keep him on his feet.

"Make it stop, please." Chanyeol mumbles, swallowing the hard lump forming in his throat.

"Go." Yixing tells Jongin and Kyungsoo. "I'll stay with him."

Yixing guides him to sit on the couch again as Jongin takes Kyungsoo and helps them out the living room, wands in hand.

Chanyeol can't open his eyes, he can feel his chest ripping apart at every pained scream. It's suffocating, a constant pressure constricting him like a tight rope around his body.

"Berry." He hears Yixing say. "Please bring a cup of Jasmine tea and add two drops of hazelnut oil." Chanyeol doesn't hear Berry speaking, but he knows by the faint sweet smell that the elf has disappeared. "Chanyeol, son." Yixing calls him, but he refuses to even move. The screams have stopped by now. "I need you to look at me, you're shaking." The healer's voice is soft and calming, coaxing the younger wizard to finally open his eyes. Yixing gives him a soft smile and quickly moves to open his Bag of Holding, scrambling a little inside until he pulls out a small glass vial with a clear pink liquid inside. "Here, drink this. It will help you relax." Chanyeol hesitates for a moment, he exchanges looks in between the vial and the healer. "Trust me." He insists.

Chanyeol carefully takes the vial and removes the cork, bringing the small jar to his nose to give it a sniff. It doesn't have any particular smell and he doesn't really have any reason to not trust the healer, he's helping Baekhyun after all. So he drinks it all in one go, the bittersweet taste hits his taste buds strongly and he scrunches his face, clearing his throat once the liquid has gone down. He immediately feels his body relaxing, his muscles untensing and his hands stop shaking a little.

"There you go." Yixing mumbles, softly rubbing his back.

"Thank you." Chanyeol says, handing the vial back. "Is he really going to be okay?" He asks after a moment of silence. Berry choses that moment to return with a small tray on her hands, a steaming mug on it and a glass bottle on the side.

"He will, don't worry. I know it's hard, but he's going to be back with you soon."

Chanyeol nods. He holds his palms up and frown, there’s a tingle running through his body, like the feeling of being burn with the flame of a candle; it comes and goes momentarily, but it doesn’t disappear.

“It’s your bond." The healer says as he pours a few drops of oil into the tea. Chanyeol looks at him, confused and catching the sudden sadness clouding his eyes and the crooked smile curling on his lips. “It’s weakened now, but you can still feel it, right?”

"Yeah." Chanyeol mumbles, glancing down at his palms before taking the mug Yixing offers him. It’s warm and the feeling is somehow uncomfortable, but Chanyeol doesn’t let go of it."How─ how do you─"

Yixing chuckles. "I used to be like you." He looks down at his hands that rest over his lap. Chanyeol follows his gaze, eyes landing on the silver band around his finger and how the healer rubs it softly, a fond smile forming on his lips. "I was chosen too." Chanyeol bites his lower lip and waits for the older man to continue. "His name was Kris. Blonde hair and blue eyes, just like Baekhyun..."

"What happened?" The younger tilts his head to the side, a curious frown forming on his face.

"He was killed. Fifteen five years ago, by hunters; he would be forty years old now. We didn't know back then... Aurors found rests of his body on the Dark Forest..." His voice trails off.

"You don't have to─"

"It's fine. I had to deal with the pain somehow and I found out that talking about him, remember him, helped." Yixing smiles, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. "I just miss him. Baekhyun reminds me a lot of him, you know? He was just as reckless and temperamental." Chanyeol chuckles. "That's why when Jongin called me I had to come... Baekhyun it's like a son to me."

"For how long... have you known him?"

"The same amount of time Minerva has. I've been looking after his family for a long time, too." Yixing sighs. "When she told me about this boy, about what he was and how he needed help, I didn’t even think twice about it. Veelas are very careful when it comes to the people around them, so when Kyungsoo told me about you I could just hope Baekhyun was not mistaken. But now I know he wasn’t.”

"What? What do you mean?" Chanyeol scowls.

"Do you really think finding him in the forest that night was an accident? Or that little... _show_ he probably gave you?" The healer quirks an eyebrow. Chanyeol blinks, amazed and a little bit scared too. "He knew from the moment he caught your scent on Kyungsoo, he knew who you were the moment you stepped into his territory. I'm sure you know about veela's nature." The younger nods. "It’s impossible to resist them."

"I─ I know." The younger nods.

"You will have to get used to a lot of things just like Baekhyun will, too. It might not be easy at first, but once you do it's really a wonderful feeling."

"Is it... real? The feeling, I mean. Or is it just some kind of magic... thing?" Chanyeol asks, afraid of the answer, but wanting to know anyway.

"Of course it's real, son. They don't force you into anything, as you probably know by now; it's up to you if you want to stay with them or not. I've heard stories of one-sided feelings, tragic stories, but real nonetheless."

"Baekhyun told me that... he could die if I ever─"

"He could." Yixing nods.

"What about me? What would happen if he… you know…"

The healer shrugs. "You can live, although you might not be able to love anyone else in the same way you’d love them. I haven't... I can't..." He plays with the ring on his finger. "It’s all about how willed you are to live without them.”

Chanyeol remains silent, the tea in his hands cold now. He looks down and stares at the shiny layer of grease due the hazelnut oil; scrunching his nose up, he leaves the mug on the table. Jongin and Kyungsoo chose that moment to walk in again.

Chanyeol gets on his feet, opening his mouth to ask about Baekhyun and not expecting for Jongin to rush to him and wrap his arms around his neck. Chanyeol is confused, but his hands slowly move up to his friend's waist.

"I'm sorry." Jongin says.

"What?"

"I'm sorry." He repeats. "For a moment I wished..."

"You wished what?" Chanyeol asks, pushing Jongin away from him a little to be able to look him in the eyes.

"It's all good." Yixing says. "I'm sure whatever Jongin wished, he didn't mean it, right?" Chanyeol looks at the healer, he's intently staring at Jongin who only nods under his heavy gaze.

"I know you needed a friend and I just─"

"It's fine." Chanyeol shakes his head. "Everything’s gonna be fine." He smiles, but he doesn’t know if he’s trying to convince himself or Jongin with his words.

"Will you be staying?" Kyungsoo asks Yixing.

"Yes, I want to check on Baekhyun when he wakes up."

Kyungsoo nods. "Follow me, I'll take you to your room, then." He says and guides Yixing out of the living room, leaving Chanyeol alone with Jongin.

"Where’s Berry?" Chanyeol asks. "She brought the tea and then disappeared…"

"She's taking care of Baekhyun, she'll tell us when the effect of the potion wears off." Jongin answers.

"Right." Chanyeol mumbles.

"Come on, it’s almost noon and you need some rest too."

Chanyeol gives a small smile to Jongin once he says his good byes before the older of the two closes the door of his room. He slumps down on his bed and lets out a long sigh, moving his arm up to cover his face with it. He closes his eyes, his body it's exhausted but his brain is restless, he knows he won’t be having any sleep.

….

Chanyeol groans when he feels the heavy bouncing on his bed. He had managed to get a few hours of sleep, waking every now and then and going back to sleep for another couple of minutes, but he's nowhere near to feel rested. His legs and arms are sore, and his back aches and burns. That potion Yixing gave must have served to numb all that pain for a moment.

He slowly cracks one eye open to see Berry jumping up and down on the bed, a bright smile on her face as he giggles and claps her hands.

"Berry, what the hell?"

"Master Chanyeol is awake!" She exclaims, clapping louder.

"Apparently." He mumbles, letting out a long sigh as he rubs his aching forehead.

"Master Chanyeol must come with me!" The elf says, approaching to where he's lying with small jumps and takes his hand, pulling on it to make him stand.

"For what?" The younger struggles with the small elf a little. "I told Jongin to only come for me when Baekhyun is awake." Chanyeol grunts.

"Yes!" Berry gives his hand another tug. "Master Baekhyun is awake! He wants to see Master Chanyeol!"

"What?" His eyes widen. He tugs on his hand harshly, causing the elf to fall on her butt on the mattress as he jumps out of the bed, not bothering on putting his shoes on and rushing out of the room, almost slipping on his way out.

He runs through the halls, his heart beating fast inside his chest. Chanyeol pushes the door of the room where he had left Baekhyun the day before open, but the blonde is not there, panicking, he starts running again.

Baekhyun gets on his feet the moment the large doors of the living open, a bright smile illuminates his face when he sees Chanyeol taking long strides in his direction. He's quickly gathered on the younger's arms. Chanyeol lifts him up with his arms wrapped around his waist and buries his face on the crook of his neck, inhaling the veela's calming scent. All pain gone.

"I thought I was going to lose you, for good this time." Chanyeol mumbles with his mouth pressed on the older's skin. "Fuck." He curses, his voice trembling as he tightens.

"You didn't and you won't." Baekhyun mumbles, moving his hand up to run his fingers through Chanyeol's hair. "Ever."

"He doesn't hate you, little one." Yixing suddenly says, catching both of their attention. Chanyeol pulls away to turn his head at the healer.

"Xing..." Baekhyun says with a warning tone.

"I know, I know. Stay out of your head, I'm sorry. I just don't want any kind of misunderstandings between you two." Yixing shrugs

Baekhyun cracks a smile. "Thank you." He says, sincerely, before tugging on Chanyeol's hand to guide him once again out of the living room.

Chanyeol enters the bedroom first. Baekhyun closes the door behind him and stands there for a moment, smiling as he sees the younger approaching the bed.

"Baek─" The blonde doesn't let him finish, he strides towards him and clings to Chanyeol as if his life depended on it.

"I'm sorry." Baekhyun sobs. "I'm so sorry."

"For what?" Chanyeol is momentarily confused.

"For leaving like that, for putting you in danger, for not understanding that you just want to keep me safe, for─"

Chanyeol shakes his head, placing a finger over the blond's mouth to shut him up. "It doesn't matter now, you're here." Baekhyun nods and leans in to press their lips together. "Does it hurts?" Chanyeol asks later, hands moving around the shorter’s body for any sign of pain.

Baekhyun shakes his head. “No, I... don't even remember what happened after I left, then I woke up here and... a patch of my hair was missing." He crooks an awkward smile, bringing his hand to the back of his head to where the missing hair is.

Chanyeol chuckles and takes both of his hands, holding them together in between his own, bringing them to his mouth to kiss them.

"It's not really something I would like to remember and I'm glad you don't, just... let's not talk about it anymore, okay?" Baekhyun nods, tilting his head up to receive the younger's lips once more.

Chanyeol wraps his arms around his waist and brings him closer to his body, pressing his lips against his forehead. He can feel his body slowly stricken, all the tiredness finally catching up to him. Chanyeol guides Baekhyun to the bed, hoping for some rest at last.

"Baek?" Chanyeol speaks a while later. Baekhyun lies next to him, snuggled up on his side with his head resting over his shoulder, almost falling asleep.

"Hmm?" Baekhyun mumbles as he shifts closer. His hand sneaks under the younger's shirt, slender fingers brushing the warm skin of his stomach.

"How did Yixing─"

"He's a Legilimens." The blond answers, nuzzling his nose on the younger's chest. "He can get into your head and get out in a second and you'll probably never know."

Then it all makes sense to Chanyeol.

"Did you... really thought I could hate you?"

"For a moment, yes. I mean... I acted so stupidly─"

"I could never, you know that."

"Ssshh then." Baekhyun hushes him, bringing a hand up to cover his mouth. "Let's get some sleep, I'm tired."

"Yeah, me too." Chanyeol mumbles.

Baekhyun doesn't say anything else, he removes his hand from the younger's mouth and moves it up to the side of his neck and keeps it there. Chanyeol lets out a contented sigh, relishing on the warmth Baekhyun's _live_ body radiates; he presses his nose on the top of the older’s head and closes his eyes, taking a deep breath and thinking _just please let this last_.


	15. Family.

After a long talk with Yixing and an unexpected visit from Minerva to check on Baekhyun, both Kyungsoo and Chanyeol were convinced that going back to Hogwarts was the best option for all of them. Kyungsoo wasn’t sure anymore about the safety of his home and Chanyeol had given up under Baekhyun’s insistent ways of making him go back to school. He figured that with one hunter locked up in Azkaban and the rest of them dead, they could finally catch a break; Chanyeol didn’t see any more reasons to keep worrying. About that at least.

He was worried about other things, though; Chanyeol had no idea of how people in school was going to react, considering the last time they saw Baekhyun and him coming back after _almost_ attacking a student; according to Minerva, the girl's parents hadn't been content at first and they had wanted for Baekhyun to be permanently banished from the school's territory, but as clever as McGonagall always is, she had managed to convince them otherwise. Chanyeol didn't bother on asking how, he honestly didn't care. All he wanted was for Baekhyun to be close to him.

Jongin on the other hand, he had apologized to him, but he still refused to look Baekhyun in the eye whenever the veela would be in the same room. Jongin didn't seem to like the idea of having Baekhyun around, considering it dangerous still. Chanyeol had tried to make him understand, but Jongin simply refused to listen, claiming everything to be okay and telling Chanyeol he had nothing to worry about, that he was just being paranoid; but there was a lot more than just that and Chanyeol needed to know. He wasn't willing to lose his best friend over Baekhyun and of course, he was not going to lose Baekhyun over Jongin either. He needs them both in his life.

….

Things seemed to have calmed down in the past three weeks since classes started. Chanyeol thinks nothing could go wrong now. Having Baekhyun with him almost on a 24/7 basis calms his heart and soul.

Spending time in the library had never been this good, with Chanyeol either studying or working on his assignments —because Baekhyun had totally refused to intervene with his school's duties— while the older binge reads a new book every week. They're not touching; they're not even looking at each other; but just feeling each other's presence is enough to keep their hearts and minds at ease. Chanyeol doesn't think he can live apart from the boy now. It just doesn't feel right.

"Can we go to the Room of Requirements tonight?" Chanyeol asks, voice low and steady as he drops his quill pen and turns to face his boyfriend who's sitting next to him with an open book over the table. Chanyeol supports and elbow over the wooden surface and leans his head into his hand.

"We were there just yesterday." Baekhyun replies on the same way, a subtle smirk curling up his lips. The Room of Requirements had become a constant in their relationship whenever they wanted to spend time alone without disturbing Chanyeol's roommates. Chanyeol had never loved magic this much in his life before.

"Well, yeah, but you know I can never have enough of you." Chanyeol says with a coquettish tone, reaching his free hand out to grab Baekhyun's fingers and begin to softly play with them.

"My ass _can_ have enough of you." Baekhyun whispers and grins, enjoying the way Chanyeol's cheeks tint of an intense shade of red.

Chanyeol pouts and averts his eyes down, feigning disappointment. He knows Baekhyun knows he's just giving him a full ton of bullshit; but pouts and puppy eyes always work simply because Baekhyun can't really resist him and Chanyeol relishes in that.

"But I guess we can do other things, then." Baekhyun says then, rolling his eyes at his boyfriend's sudden bright expression.

"Care to give me a _heads up_?"

"We're at the library, Yeol." Baekhyun shakes his head. "And you have that paper due for tomorrow morning." He points at the half done piece of parchment.

Chanyeol groans. Why Baekhyun does have to be smarter than him? Why did he have to memorize his entire schedule without even trying? Why is he so _responsible_?

"Fine, I'll finish this and then we can go to there, eat the rest of those pumpkin pasties we bought and you can show me what those other things are." Chanyeol mumbles, biting on his lower lip as he slowly rubs circles with his thumb over the back of Baekhyun’s hand.

Baekhyun nods eagerly, a bright smile spreading on his face. Chanyeol loves just how much Baekhyun loves sweets. Probably more than he loves _him_.

Chanyeol goes back to his writing with a sigh and Baekhyun goes back to his book─ or at least he tries; images of what he could do to Chanyeol later has him subtly squirming on his chair and pressing his legs together to suppress the impeding hard on he's getting. He glances to Chanyeol, internally groaning because how can someone look so hot writing a paper? How can—

"Baekhyun." They both look up to find Kyungsoo standing right behind the veela. "I need you to come with me, McGonagall wants to see you."

"What? Now?" Baekhyun quirks a suspicious eyebrow at Kyungsoo's serious tone. He glances at Chanyeol, then back at Kyungsoo.

"Yes, now. It's important." The veela frowns, but nods nonetheless and gets on his feet. "You too, Chanyeol." Kyungsoo says, with an even more serious tone. Chanyeol shivers, but he quickly gathers his things and shoves them inside his bag to follow his boyfriend and Kyungsoo out of the library.

Kyungsoo guides them through the corridors with a fast pace, head up and his eyebrows knitted together in a deep scowl. Baekhyun has to grab Chanyeol by the arm to help himself keep up with them.

The shorter wizard stops in front of passage that leads to Minerva's office, he glances side to side to make sure no one is around and mumbles the password; the phoenix statue begins to move up with a strong swirling sound, revealing the set of stairs. Kyungsoo quickly ushers them inside before going up himself.

The short passage to McGonagall's office is as cold as Chanyeol remembers and the dim light of the torches is the only source of illumination in the narrow space. Baekhyun begins to feel uneasy the moment he steps inside and presses his body closer against Chanyeol. The taller looks down at him with worry, but Baekhyun only shakes his head in what he hopes to be a reassuring act.

They stop in front of the thick wooden door. Kyungsoo gives Baekhyun one last glance before raising his hand up and knock on the door with two short knocks. The door opens with a heavy sound; the inside of the headmistress' office is larger and more illuminated, it emanates a mix of smells among sage and lavender, enough to make Chanyeol's stomach churn a little.

The room is eerily quiet. Chanyeol can't really pinpoint the strange feeling that suddenly invades him; it's getting harder to breathe and his tie feels tight around his neck. The feeling begins to intensify as the seconds pass and in a blink, he's brought to his knees, gasping for air and desperately clawing at his neck trying to undo his tie and the buttons of his shirt; his eyes are wide like saucers when he looks up at Baekhyun for help.

"Stop! What the fuck are you doing?!" Baekhyun exclaims as he falls to his knees and helps Chanyeol to straighten his back. "Luhan, stop!" He screeches again and just as it came, the feeling is gone.

"What—" Chanyeol gasps for air "what the hell?"

"Are you okay?" Baekhyun asks, mumbling with worry in his voice. Chanyeol hastily nods and then looks up to meet eyes with the three other people there; his mouth opens in awe, they're just as beautiful as Baekhyun, blonde hair and blue eyes; skin soft-looking and pale, and they seem to emit a glow of light that keeps him hypnotized for a moment, until Baekhyun places a hand on his chest and looks at him with questioning eyes.

"I'm okay." Chanyeol whispers at the same time he nods his head slowly. "Who... who are they?"

Baekhyun sighs. "My family." He answers, turning around and missing the way Chanyeol's mouth falls open in shock. "My mom, Junah." Baekhyun points at the only woman. Chanyeol blinks furiously, it's impossible for her to be Baekhyun's mother: she looks young, maybe even younger than Baekhyun. "My brothers, Minseok;" he motions with his head at the man standing on the woman's right. His feline eyes fall on Chanyeol and an awkward, lopsided smile curls up on his lips. Minseok bows his head and just as the smile came, it disappears. "And this is Luhan." Baekhyun introduces at the boy by his mother's left. Unlike Minseok, he doesn't smile; he barely acknowledges Chanyeol, keeping his hard expression without a single glitch.

"Are you not going to greet your mother?" The woman speaks with a heavily marked accent. She opens her arms and in a second, Baekhyun is embracing her tightly.

"I missed you." Baekhyun mumbles, voice strained as the arms around his mother tighten.

"I missed you too, my son." Junah answers, her tone so soft, tender and warm that Chanyeol feels like intruding into a very intimate moment just by watching, so he turns his head away, feeling the need to give them some privacy.

Chanyeol just dares to look again when he hears Baekhyun greeting Minseok and a small smile appears on his face at the sight of the two brothers holding each other. But when the moment comes and Baekhyun stands in front of Luhan, the atmosphere inside the room becomes darker and heavier. Baekhyun just stares at his brother and Luhan holds his gaze for just a few seconds before rolling his eyes and looking away.

"And you must be Chanyeol." Junah says, her mellow voice cutting the tension like a pair of scissors. Chanyeol jerks his head up and stumbles back when he finds the short woman standing right in front of him, just a few inches apart.

"I— I uh—" Chanyeol stammers.

"You are indeed handsome." She brings her hand up to place it over his cheek. Chanyeol flinches a little, but then he's leaning into the touch; her hand is warm and soft and it immediately puts Chanyeol into some kind of trance as he looks into her blue eyes. The attraction is there: is nothing like what he felt the first time he met Baekhyun, but it's similar and at the same time so different; he feels the sudden urge to embrace her the same way he would embrace his own mother and protect her. Junah's smile is just so warm and inviting.

"Mother." Baekhyun's voice breaks the spell. Chanyeol blinks and then, Junah's hand is gone and Baekhyun is by his side, instantly making his body relax.

No one mentions the incident when they first arrived and Chanyeol decided to keep it to himself at least until he's alone with Baekhyun. "When did you arrive?" Baekhyun asks then, shifting impossibly close to him and sneaking an arm around his waist on a possessive way. Chanyeol frowns, Baekhyun is not usually like that, but there's a strange emotion emanating from the older, Chanyeol can feel it prickling his insides and making him feel wary of his surroundings. He can't really tell what is, but he doesn't like it one bit. Baekhyun is concerned and it shows on the way he sticks to him the entire time even when in the room it's only his family, Kyungsoo and Minerva.

"This morning." Junah answers then. "We wanted to surprise you."

"Is it okay?" Baekhyun turns to McGonagall. "For them to be here, I mean."

Minerva opens her mouth to answer, but Luhan beats her to it. "I figured you would not want us here, brother." He says, taking Chanyeol by surprise with the harsh tone of his voice.

Chanyeol feels Baekhyun tensing on his side and the hand he has curled around his forearm tightens. "Don't put words in my mouth, Luhan."

"It's not the time nor the place." Junah intervenes, her voice as calm and soft as ever, but Chanyeol doesn't miss the way her eyes darken.

"We thought it was time for them to come back." Minerva says, easing the uncomfortable situation a little. "I think it's safe now and we have everything ready in Hogsmeade for you to settle there."

"Isn't it dangerous?" Minseok speaks for the first time.

"I spoke to my father, he's sending people from our private security detail, they’re discrete and I'll be paying you visits every now and then. You don't have to worry." Kyungsoo answers and it's the first time, after Jongin and Baekhyun, that Chanyeol sees him smile so sincerely.

"Thank you, Kyungsoo." Junah bows her head at him.

"Baekhyun is coming too?" Luhan asks, crossing his arms against his chest, eyes dancing in between Baekhyun and Chanyeol.

"No, I can't leave the castle now." Baekhyun answers, glancing up at Chanyeol and then at his brother.

"So, it's sealed." He adds.

"Yes." Baekhyun replies. Chanyeol doesn't need to ask to figure they're talking about their bond. Luhan scoffs, but he doesn't say anything else.

"Well, I think Baekhyun has a lot to talk with his family." Minerva says as she sits on her big wooden chair behind her desk. "You should get going. Baekhyun knows where to take you."

Baekhyun gives her a brief nod and then turns to Chanyeol. "I'm sorry." He mumbles.

"It's fine." Chanyeol shakes his head and smiles. "I'll see you later?"

"Of course." Baekhyun gets on his tiptoes to press his lips on Chanyeol’s.

Soon, the family is gone and he's left alone in the office with Minerva and Kyungsoo.

"What was all that?" Chanyeol frowns.

"I'm not the person to tell you." Minerva answers, not even looking at him, too busy scribbling something down on a piece of parchment. "I'm sure Baekhyun will explain later. Kyungsoo, please."

"Let's go, Chanyeol." Kyungsoo speaks from behind him, he’s already holding the door open for him.

Chanyeol sighs, but he moves to follow Kyungsoo out of the office, through the narrow corridor and down the stairs.

"Why does it feel like something is going to go very wrong?" Chanyeol mumbles, aiming his question to particularly no one, but Kyungsoo is walking next to him, too close to comfort.

"Something probably will."

"What?" Chanyeol lifts an eyebrow.

Kyungsoo shakes his head. "Just be careful around Luhan." He says and before Chanyeol can open his mouth to speak, he's turning around a corner on the opposite direction, leaving Chanyeol with his head spinning in confusion and his chest heaving with worry. Just when he thought they could finally have some peace.


	16. About Luhan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I suggest you guys check the tags on every update because I'll be adding more, depending on the content and you might find something not up your taste. Just so you are aware.

Baekhyun sighs, closing his eyes as a contented smile spreads on his lips and his arms move up to wrap around Chanyeol's neck; he tilts his head to the side to give his boyfriend more space to continue with his task of leaving tiny and wet kisses all over his skin.

They're naked; Baekhyun lies on his back on the comfortable bed the Room of Requirements always provides, with Chanyeol in between his legs being all kinds of mushy and attentive. There's nothing sexual about the way Chanyeol is treating him at the moment, but Baekhyun doesn't really mind; he likes the attention the younger gives him without him having to ask and after a long afternoon spent with his family and dealing with Luhan's condescension, sarcastic remarks and out of place comments, this feels like heaven.

Having his family close to him has probably been Baekhyun's biggest desire since he can remember, but now that he does has them, he doesn't really know what to do with it and he fears that things are going to go wrong at some point. He still doesn't know what they think about Chanyeol; the younger wizard wasn't mentioned at all during the hours he spent on their new house and even though he knows that his family knows how important this is, how important _he_ is, there's still some issues he has to deal with. Like his brother Luhan. His very complicated, unpredictable and reckless younger brother Luhan.

Baekhyun still doesn't understand what went wrong between them and why. When Luhan was born, he was away, trying to find a way to find them. When they met again, Baekhyun had been thrilled to finally meet his little brother, the beautiful baby boy his mother would always write him about; but it wasn't at all what Baekhyun had been expected: Luhan was nothing like how his mother had described him. He was beautiful, yes, probably even more than Baekhyun himself, but there was something about him that wasn't just right, a glint in his eyes that Baekhyun couldn't even start to describe. Luhan, since the beginning, had been cold and distant, hateful, with a thick set of walls around him really hard to penetrate.

It didn't take long for Baekhyun to find out his brother was only like that around him. It was obvious enough the younger had a soft spot for Minseok, their older brother. It was hard to miss the brightness in his eyes whenever he was around or how dedicated he was just to keep him satisfied and happy. Baekhyun had an inkling feeling that Luhan's love for Minseok, was beyond brotherhood. Baekhyun understood, up at some point, he knew stories about veelas finding their mates among their own family. It has never been ideal and it has never been easy to handle, but it was in their nature and deny their nature is something Baekhyun knows they can't do. Regardless of where that takes them.

Baekhyun only realizes he's been quiet for far too long and unmoving for just as much when he feels Chanyeol's hand wrap around his hipbone and squeezing him softly and leaning in a little to press his nose on the back of his neck. Chanyeol inhales deeply and Baekhyun can feel him smiling against his skin.

"What are you smiling for?" The older asks, hand moving up to place it over the one Chanyeol has on his hip.

"Your thoughts are incredibly loud. It's almost like I can hear them."

Baekhyun smiles and scoots closer. "That's the bond." He starts. "With time, as it grows stronger, you'll be able to _hear_ them."

"You mean... I'll be able to read your mind?" Chanyeol asks, sounding so childishly excited.

Baekhyun chuckles. "Not exactly. It's similar to when you can sense my emotions." He explains. "It's like a buzz, a jumbled mumbled, if you wish, but clearer? On the sense that you'll actually know what I'm trying to tell you. But it only works when I want to directly communicate with you without using words and it takes a while to fully develop."

"Yeah." Chanyeol mumbles. "Right now it just feels like a lot of white noise. It's actually kind of dizzying."

Baekhyun bites his lips, he is aware that his thoughts are all over the place and his mind is probably toying with the strings of their bond, unconsciously calling for Chanyeol to step in, knowing that he's the one to keep him safe and grounded. He turns around then, to face his boyfriend, surprising Chanyeol a little due having his face so close so unexpectedly.

"Close your eyes." Baekhyun requests him. Chanyeol does without hesitating. The veela uses the hand he's not squishing between their bodies to place it behind the younger's neck and starts massaging him, rubbing in circles, squeezing and then moving up to lightly tug on his hair until he feels Chanyeol visibly relaxing under his ministrations. Baekhyun only stops when he hears Chanyeol let out a small sigh. "Is it gone?" He asks.

Chanyeol opens his eyes and smiles. "I think so, yeah. Thank you." He leans in to peck the older on the lips. "But I still want to know what were you thinking about? Is it... Luhan?" Chanyeol asks, somehow uncertain.

Baekhyun huffs and nods. "I don't know what's going to happen. It's clear that Luhan doesn't want to be around me and he can be pretty... radical, with his actions. I'm kind of scared, to be honest."

"Don't worry." Chanyeol's smile is sweet as he sneaks his arm around his hips and pulls him closer. "You know I'm with you... as long as your brother doesn't try to kill me again."

Baekhyun lets out a small laugh. "That... I can't promise." He gives his boyfriend an apologetic smile. "He might try something worse if he's not feeling in the mood."

"Gee, that makes me feel a lot better." Chanyeol rolls his eyes playfully.

"On the bright side, my mother likes you a lot and so does Minseok, if Minseok likes you, it could be that Luhan goes easy on you."

"It still doesn't make me feel any better." Chanyeol puffs his cheeks, starting to feel a little frustrated. This was not what he had in mind when he first found out Baekhyun's family had finally arrived. In his head, they all would love him and make him part of the family instantly because, well, there's the small detail that he is Baekhyun's bonded mate. His partner. The person who's going to spend the rest of his life with. The person who's he's going to have children with. The person who─

"Now your thoughts are too loud." Baekhyun interrupts him, frowning slightly. "Don't think too much about it. There's no point on worrying now."

"Alright. I'll try." Chanyeol sighs.

Baekhyun smiles, grateful and pulls Chanyeol in for a kiss; throwing his leg over his boyfriend's thighs and bucks his hips to create some friction. If it wasn't sexual before, it is now. It's not hard to rile Chanyeol up and so Baekhyun hopes it will serve as a distraction for him as much as for Chanyeol.

….

Jongin has just finished writing his essay for his Potions' class. With a satisfied sigh, he places his quill down and carefully rolls his parchment to then put it in his bag. Who even uses parchment anymore, anyway? They're in the 21st century, they should have left the old ways a long time ago. It would be so much easier to do their researches if they had internet connection and they were allowed to use their phones in the school. Knowing that there's no point on fretting over that, Jongin shrugs all the thoughts away and stands up from the chair of his desk, mentally preparing to get ready to bed, but as soon as he opens his trunk to get his pajamas out, the door of his room is being pushed open and Kyungsoo is walking inside with a deep frown on his face.

Kyungsoo is almost always frowning, Jongin knows, but this is different, he can feel the distress on his boyfriend's posture. Worried, Jongin throws his clothes on his bed and takes a step closer to where Kyungsoo is rigidly standing by the door.

"Soo?"

"Minerva is on edge." Kyungsoo speaks, so lowly that Jongin almost misses what he's saying.

"What─ what do you mean?" Jongin frowns too.

"About Luhan."

"Baekhyun's brother?" Jongin presses. Kyungsoo nods.

"She says is just a feeling, but I know it means more than that. There's always something more with McGonagall and I'm afraid something might happen if we're not careful."

"You're not being clear, Soo." Jongin lets out an exasperated sigh.

"Luhan!" Kyungsoo exclaims, immediately regretting it when he sees Jongin flinching back. "I'm sorry, I'm just... nervous as well. Minerva told me to be careful with Luhan and she never says anything without a reason, you know it." Jongin nods.

"So... do we do something or...?"

Kyungsoo sighs. "Not for now and Chanyeol can't know about this. Let's let things settle down and see what happens. We might be wrong, right?"

"We could, yeah." Jongin nods but he's not sure about his own words.

Kyungsoo nods too, but the unsettling feeling doesn't leave his stomach. He might not be Chanyeol's biggest fan but he is his boyfriend's best friend. If something was to happen to him, he doesn't know what would be of Jongin and if to protect his boyfriend he has to protect Park Chanyeol as well, he will.


End file.
